Sissonville, West Virginia

Instead of a Dash – A Pet:  What would normally be a dash between dates is a furball. The etching says little about how "our little buddy" lived his dash, but it says a lot about how his masters lived theirs, at least for thirteen years of their lives. Floral Hills Pet Cemetery. [2017]

Thomasville, North Carolina

Instead of a Dash – A Cross:  What would normally be a dash between dates is the United Methodist Church's cross and flame. It looks like he let two things fill his life: first, the military; second, the church. Five lines total: three are devoted to military service. Fair Grove UMC Cemetery. [2013]

Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Instead of a Dash – A Bird:  What would normally be a dash between dates is a hummingbird. He has probably just been nectaring from the forget-me-not above his head. What tales is our feathered friend telling you about such a "loving mother"? All tombstone icons have stories to tell of those interred. Beal Memorial Cemetery. [2017]

Helena, Montana

Instead of a Dash – A Turtle:  What would normally be a dash between dates is a baby sea turtle. The one in granite seems more realistic than a cartoon-inspired character. The one looking on from the sidelines seems more like a cartoon. All we really know is that during her few years on earth she developed a special bond with another member of the animal kingdom. Resurrection Cemetery. [2020]

Lewiston, Idaho

Instead of a Dash – A Violin:  What would normally be a dash between dates is a violin and bow. He was born to play the strings, and he played them until he died. That's how the dash works. Was 'Tune' his nickname? If so, he may have been more of a fiddler than a violinist. Normal Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Honolulu, Hawaii

Live Your Dash:  Nine lives, nine dashes. But, we know little about how any of them lived their dashes. Presumably, they shared an opinion on where their earthly remains should spend eternity: at sea. Down with their bodies, up with their souls. The names indicate an extended family. Oahu Cemetery. [2011]

Ogallala, Nebraska

Live Your Dash:  He lived his dash with his drums. Music and art are often the first subjects to go when school budgets are cut back, but a trip to any cemetery will persuade you they shouldn't be. They outrank all other subjects as headstone icons. How many people take algebra to their graves? How many take music? Ogallala Cemetery. [2019]

Madison, Wisconsin

Live Your Dash:  He lived his dash as a loving son and brother. What else filled his life? Ice hockey? Green Bay? That is so American, yet look at his name. It is Turkic, but his roots may not be in Turkey. He may be from Bosnia or Croatia, an immigrant from the Balkans in the 1990s. Dane County, owing to the university, has a reputation for welcoming immigrants. Forest Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Kennewick, Washington

Live Your Dash:  Like the dash, his life was short. Was it filled with music and travel? The axe suggests the former, but the airliner may point to something else. Shall we add a third to our list: love? Love that is already missed and forever in the hearts of those he left behind. Riverview Heights Cemetery. [2019]

Seabrook, New Hampshire

Live Your Dash:  She lived her dash loving lighthouses and what they symbolized. As for her nickname, what does that add to the story of how she lived her dash? She would have been the right age for the bobby sox craze of the 1940s and 50s, which may tell us something about her personality. Hillside Cemetery. [2019]

Chappell, Nebraska

Live Your Dash:  Two lives, two dashes, two clues to how they lived those dashes. He loved farming. She loved painting. They assuredly had other interests, but this is what they chose to tell successive generations and visitors about their lives. How do you want your life to shine through from the grave? Chappell Cemetery. [2019]

Crossett, Arkansas

Live Your Dash:  The dash may be long, but her life wasn't. She does, however, give us a clue about how she lived her dash: as "a loving wife and faithful mother." That must have been more than enough to occupy every waking hour. Lakewood Cemetery. [2018]

Fort Collins, Colorado

Live Your Dash:  "Life is Short – Live Your Dash." Get it? If not, look at the dates of birth and death on the tombstone and see what is in between: a dash. His dash was a short sprint, but he "finished the race." The mood-setting verse from II Timothy may be the most common scripture on cemetery headstones in the country. Grandview Cemetery. [2019]

Brownsdale, Minnesota

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents to Trailers and Beyond:  Mountains like that in Minnesota? or mountains in their minds as they fished the state's 10,000 lakes? He and his wife probably had a favorite one, though, and there they parked their RV for all eternity. You do remember Minnesota's nickname, right? The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. Greenwood Cemetery. [2019]

 

Julesburg, Colorado

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents to Trailers and Beyond:  He'll be on that lake forever and the fish tales will just get taller and taller. Here's proof we can carry our dreams to our graves. For him and his wife, and their four kids, the world of camping probably began in a humble tent and ended in a toplofty RV. Julesburg Cemetery. [2019]

Dalton, Nebraska

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents to Trailers . . . :  The fire is going, the marshmallows are roasting, and the beverages are ready to imbibe. The campers, however, seem to have disappeared. Forever or just for a while? Do you think that's their family name, the name of their camper, or the place where they camp? St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. [2019]

Lovington, New Mexico

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents to Trailers . . . :  Field work required: Is that camp site on a pediment or an alluvial fan? Both may be found at the foot of a mountain range, but the former is an erosional surface and the latter a depositional surface. We could ask the campers, but they're nowhere to be found. Where do you think they went? Lovington Cemetery. [2018]

Woodstown, New Jersey

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents to Trailers . . . : Did he just pull in or is he ready to pull out? Or, maybe he will just stay for a while. Beside that stream may be where he wants to remain forever. It made of his world a heaven on earth: inspiration provided by mountain grandeur and soaring eagle. Did he find those snowcaps in New Jersey, really? Lawnside Cemetery. [2015]

Hurricane, Utah

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents . . . :  We live on planet Earth, but our lives consist of many worlds. The world of camping may be one of them, as it was for this young woman, now memorialized in her mother's arms and comforted with a final salutation: "See you on the other side." Hurricane Cemetery. [2019]

Twin Falls, Idaho

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents . . . :  We live on planet Earth, but our lives consist of many worlds. The world of camping may be one of them, at least for this artist and one lonely dog. Why lonely? It seems like his master and the easel have popped off to another dimension, leaving behind their shadowy silhouettes. Don't you wonder what he is painting now? Twin Falls Cemetery. [2020]