Inscription on Grave Marker
Covenanter Cemetery, Bloomington, Indiana
The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away
Blessed be the name of the Lord
I’m not particularly religious, but if you can’t make posts containing Bible verses on Sunday, then when can you make them?
There’s some faint text below the verse, but I can’t make it out.
Grave Marker Inscribed with Text from Hosea 13:14 and Psalm 23
Covenanter Cemetery, Bloomington, Indiana
I will ransom them from the power
of the grave; I will redeem them
from death; O death I will be thy
plagues; O grave I will be thy
destruction. Hos. 13 & 14
Yea though I walk Death’s dark vale
Yet is it I fear no evil
for thou art with me and thy rod
and staff me comfort
Covenanter Cemetery, Bloomington, Indiana
This is presumably a fragment from one of the headstones. It was just lying in the grass. I don’t think it’s a section marker, because this is a really tiny cemetery.
I think this might be my favorite photo from yesterday’s set. It reminds me of The Silver Chair, when Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum stumble into the words “UNDER ME.” I started to crop it square, but decided that I preferred it like this. I also think that it looks better viewed at full size.
Grave Marker
Covenanter Cemetery, Bloomington, Indiana
This is similar to the last one. One thing worth mentioning is that the sky was a nice, solid grey color. I don’t think I would have liked this photo if the sky had been blue. That’s partly because the sunlight would have washed out the color in the stone, but also because the mid-day sky directly overhead is usually an anemic sort of blue.
Angel
Covenanter Cemetery, Bloomington, Indiana
This was one of those “switch everything to auto, set the camera on the ground, and hope for the best” photos. It took 10-15 shots before I got something halfway useful.
Charley Harden, Indiana PVT 70 FIELD ARTY, JANUARY 9, [1930?]
GOODMAN
John J Lawrence 1840-1935, Union Veteran Civil War
Skirvin, Tilford L., Sept. 22, 1850 – Jun. 24, 1913
Mary M., Oct. 14, 1853 – Dec. 23, 1929
Grave Marker with Red Lichen (Caloplaca)
Clara, Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
There are actually three graves here, but the stones are worn smooth. The only identifying mark is the name Clara, on the center stone. It’s etched deeply, as if it had been re-carved at some point. The graves are clearly old, but someone still keeps it decorated with plastic flowers and tchotchkes.
There’s a new grave, just a few feet from Clara’s. It wasn’t there the last time I visited the cemetery. A young man is buried there, and the grave is packed with flowers and mementos. It’s interesting to see new graves jumbled in with the old ones.
Another weird thing about this cemetery–there are new stones in the old section, right next to the dry stone wall. A couple of them are facing the wall, with only a few inches of empty space between them. The old church is directly on the other side of the wall, so there’s not a good way to look at those backward headstones. Why on earth would they be placed facing out like that?
Angel Grave Decoration, Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
This, and several other decorations and flower arrangements, were sitting on the back sides of their headstones. I think that’s a little odd, but there must be a reason for doing so.
Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
It was supposed to rain today, but the weather ended up being gorgeous. Highs in the 50s and only partially cloudy. Since I’ve been a little cabin fevery, I decided to run out to Mount Gilead and take some more photos. Besides, I haven’t really had a chance to play out-of-doors with my new camera.
Altogether, I took about 60 photos, and only a few were real duds. I’m well pleased! This one, of a lone, plastic (not even silk!) daisy near a plain, little headstone, is one of my favorites. This graveyard was established in 1845, so it’s not all that old, but some of the oldest stones–like this one–have already been worn smooth.
These are the same roses I photographed a few days ago. They’ve fallen off the stems and are pretty much dried through. I took this one yesterday, so I’m cheating, but I didn’t have a chance to take photos today. I got sidetracked dying paper for a new journal.
My hands are now stained a disgusting shade of brown, but the paper is cool looking, and that’s all that matters. I hope my idea works. We’ll know tomorrow, when it’s dry. Right now, it’s layered between sheets of waxed paper, in my high-tech press (a large hardback atlas and an iron skillet).
And now, it’s time to go watch Survivor and Lost.
