Ogallala, Nebraska

The Boot Hill Genre:  How weathers the wood? Well or not well? These markers, commemorative of the pioneer days, date only from restoration work in 2015. What was left of the abandoned cemetery was finished off by a wildfire in the 1950s. A hundred years from now, what do you think these wooden headstones will look like? Not well. In fact, not in existence at all. Now you understand the comparative advantage of granite! Boot Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Quartzsite, Arizona

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "I flew through the clouds as a skydiver, and explored the bottom of the sea. I traveled the land in an old Dodge van. But the only thing I never found . . . . was me." Hi Jolly Cemetery. [2015]

Laurel Hiil, Florida

Defined by the Regional Economy ~ Logging:  Here's a  logging truck made of a log. This one isn't on the road in Florida's Okaloosa County, however. It's on a "short haul to heaven." But, if the truck doesn't quite get him there, a pair of boots is on call for a sprint across the finish line. Almarante Cemetery. [2017]

Quartzsite, Arizona

Focus on Hi Jolly Cemetery:  Here are two wooden markers. Mike's is recent. Jose's, below, is not. Mike speaks to us from the grave: "I flew through the clouds as a skydiver, and explored the bottom of the sea....I traveled our land in an old Dodge van. But the only thing I never found....was me." From Jose's grave, no voice emanates; all we know is recorded on the small plaque provided by the town (name and year of death, 1883). So, what's the lesson Mr. Loquacious can learn from Mr. Taciturn? [2015]