A Little Background To Get Us Started

I don't recall my first trip to a cemetery. No introduction. No realization. They were just there as an integral part of my childhood. Decoration Day, or Memorial Day as we call it these days, was spent traipsing all over Delaware and Grant Counties, Indiana, and, on rare occasions, to far-flung locations like Boone or Franklin Counties.The trunk of the car would be filled with five gallon buckets of cut iris and peonies, a years worth of coffee cans, and milk jugs of water to fill them. And spare shoes because someone would inevitably dump a bucket or jug. Stopping at a cemetery or two following a family reunion or funeral was common. A weekend drive with a picnic basket resulted in a blanket spread somewhere in a field of memories more times than not. All that being said, I suppose it is of little surprise that childhood lifestyle has evolved into a passion for every aspect of cemeteries. Visiting. Studying. Preserving. Restoring. Photographing. Remembering.

These days, as a middle-aged adult in late 2012, I have the occasional opportunity to visit cemeteries outside of my home state. I look forward to sharing a mix of taphophilia, genealogy, photography, American history, even geography. Whether unknown, famous, or infamous, every stone represents a story waiting to be told. So hop in and fasten your seat belt. We will see where the road takes us!