Grave Matters: The unusual

Once in awhile, while I'm walking about a cemetery, I come across a grave or two that are so unique, so different that I'll just stand there and take in every piece of detail. These are three of the most unusual graves I've come across. The first two images are from California cemeteries and both have representations of a sleeping child incorporated into their design, while the last is from Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

This first one is from the small town of Santa Margarita, midway between San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles on the Central Coast. My first time trying to find it however, I got lost and with time waning I sadly had to make my way back to Arroyo Grande. On my second attempt however, I managed to find out where I went wrong (I bore left instead of right) and after a short drive outside of the town I finally came across it. The cemetery is very small, and really didn;t have much in the way of anything, expect for this grave. What catches the eye here is the clamshell which acts as a bed for the sleeping child, and the peace and serenity on the child's face is very well carved and the overall amount of detail is incredible. While I wasn't very happy with the way the overall picture came out once I got back and downloaded it, I still felt it was worth posting simply because it's so very out of the ordinary of childrens graves.

This second gravestone is one I ran across in Sacramento at Old City Cemetery. Old City is simply put, incredible. The day I was there, every flower and every rose on every grave was in full bloom and in the early morning hour with the dappled sunlight coming through the trees it made an excellent first impression. The headstones, statues and tombs were rich with remarkable detail, and well cared for and each grave I stopped to take a picture at had something in the way to offer in the way of iconography. When I came across this monument, I was stunned by the wealth of detail. Everything from the facial features, to the small pillow that the child rests upon was a feast for the eyes.




This last grave is from Ross Bay Cemetery in
Victoria BC. I've been to Ross Bay now three times, and photographed it in three different seasons. It's an amazing place, full of history, elaborate and very well cared for, in fact the day I was there I watched a maintenance worker gently washing a Celtic cross with nothing more than soap and water. This gravestone is one of my favorites on the small scale. The picture actually makes it look larger than it is, as up close, it's a mere 2 ft tall, but it's packed with detail, from the rope work around the seat of the chair to the small shoes and socks placed on the seat. It's a stunning visual reminder of how high the mortality rate was among children in the days before modern medicine. But what truly sticks with me the most about this gravestone, is it's simple one line epitaph, "a little hero.