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]

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]

Cincinnati, Oho

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes, or cremains. Option 3: Scatter the ashes. The advantage is that the deceased is immediately returned to the earth: dust to dust. The disadvantage is usually that you don't have a headstone for future generations to discover. However, here is an example of someone who has remedied that problem: a memorial that tells us where the ashes were scattered. St. Joseph's Cemetery. [2013]

Williamsburg Ohio

Defined by Our Duds:  His existence may have been defined more by the duds of previous generations than by his own. Sometimes it is more important for headstones to reveal what the ancestors wore. Black granite etchings are one way of keeping the traditions of American Indians "alive" (or at least commemorated). "Just as an eagle soars on and on, you will remain in our hearts." Williamsburg Cemetery. [2016]

Odessa, Delaware

Free-Range Figurines:  What is a better symbol of a free-range spirit: an eagle or a hummingbird? Consider how many people have eagles in their backyard and how many people have hummingbirds. And, this one even has a flower to hum about. Drawyers Cemetery. [2018]

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Free-Range Figurines:  Symbolizing the essence of freedom, an eagle tries to take flight. On his wings ride the souls of the departed. "They shall mount up with wings of eagles." So sayeth Isaiah. There seems to be no better symbol of a free-range spirit than an eagle. Cedar Rest Cemetery. [2014]

Harristown, Illinois

Free-Range Figurines: Just because it is plastic, doesn't mean it isn't a sculpture. Maybe this pink flamingo is a sign the WL's spent their winters in Florida. This bird seems to have legs to stand on, but no feet, so how free-range can he be? Harristown Cemetery. [2015]

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Portraits Etched into Granite:  On those eagle's wings he "slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies" on his way to heaven, all the while with a smile on his face. Recognize the poem by John Gillespie Magee? Bowling Green Gardens. [2019]

Maxville, Indiana

Portraits Etched into Granite:  Young and in love: Isn't that when we are all at the top of our game? This couple has done well to choose a portrait that flatters them with fleeting surrealism in black and white. Woodlawn Cemetery. [2018]

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Portraits Etched into Granite:  There are lots of "apps" on their headstone, but the one that draws your attention is their portrait: both smiling as if they really enjoyed their 42 years together.  Bowling Green Gardens. [2019]

Louisville, Kentucky

Headstone Sculptures:  Not just one bird, but three. Is the sculpture a representation of what they could see from their kitchen window? Is it the number of children they brought into this world? Or is it a testimony to Bob Marley: "Every little thing gonna be alright"?  Evergreen Cemetery. [2016]

Portland, Maine

Headstone Sculptures:  Lovebirds in spring. In full form they remain for all time: Perhaps the great grandkids will know from the sculpture how much their forebears were in love. It is just so beautiful, how can we possibly classify it as funerary art? Evergreen Cemetery. [2019]

Louisville, Kentucky

The Last Shall Be First, and The First Last:  Here's an Arab name, but a Christian Arab. Did you know that most Arab-Americans are Christians? Only since 1990 have Muslim Arabs become a significant part of the Arab immigration stream to the US. Where would a Christian Arab immigrant likely come from? This family name probably has its origin in Lebanon, which would have been a part of Syria during Ottoman rule. The terminal y or ee sound marks it as typically Syrian. Syrians are fond of ending lots of words in ee, much to the surprise of Arabic speakers from the rest of the world. Evergreen Cemetery. [2016]

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Voices from the Land of the Living ~ Third Person Singular Subjective Case:  "She never knew a stranger, and with a servant's heart, she was a friend to all." Weavers Church Cemetery. [2014]

Knapp, Wisconsin

Voices from the Land of the Living ~ First Person Plural Subjective Case:  "We love you and miss you." Forest Hill Cemetery. [2012]

Darien, Connecticut

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ K:  The letter K is the 22nd most frequently used letter in the English language. Here's the K on a quilt-like garden flag, where it shares the summer with red-white-and-blue icons of nationhood. The color coordination is striking, right down to the carnations. Spring Grove Cemetery. [2018]

Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

What Happened on 14 June 1777?  The United States adopted a national flag that came to be known as the 'star spangled banner.' It's not surprising to see it all over American graveyards, sometimes etched into granite and sometimes flying free over the grave itself. The inscription on this headstone reads "Once in our lives and now in our hearts." We could modify it to refer to the red-white-and-blue: "Everywhere in our lives and always in our hearts." St. Mary's Cemetery. [2017]

Austin, Texas

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "I am thankful to the Lord." And, so, her soul was saved, and "her spirit will live on forever in out hearts and minds." Evergreen Cemetery. [2015]

Miami, Florida

You've Got Mail!  In your head, put an adjective in front of the word 'letters.' Did you choose the word 'love'? When you think of letters (the old-fashioned variety), your mind automatically goes to "love letters." Ergo, the mailbox becomes the perfect accouterment for a burial plot. But don't forget to have some stamps on hand! Caballero Rivero Woodlawn South Cemetery. [2018]

Cortland, New York

Balloon Rides to Heaven:  Why not go out with a little flare and fashion. Let your spirit depart this earth in a hot air balloon: up above the birds you rise, up above the sun. Take one last look at what your are leaving behind: Next stop is paradise! Cortland Rural Cemetery. [2017]