Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Rincón, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Focus on Rincón Cemetery:  Do you see the Dutch influence here in the Dutch Caribbean? The name is easily recognizable as Dutch, and the color of the cladding seems to have been picked to match the name, which translates as 'green mountain.' In fact, the tomb's tiles look very much like something you would find in an Amsterdam cemetery and not very much like Bonaire. What do you make of 'Drumi Dushi'? [2017]


Monday, April 10, 2017

Rincón, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Focus on Rincón Cemetery:  The cemetery in Bonaire's second largest town conforms to regional standards: surrounding stuccoed wall, tombs above ground in which caskets are stacked vertically, modest memorial plaques with a personal touch or two, in need of more maintenance than it gets. [2017]


Friday, February 10, 2017

Cochranville, Pennsylvania

America's Most Famous Lighthouse:  It's not tubular. It's not even 3-dimensional. But, it's still recognizable as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. And, it's popular: Images like this can be found all over the country, even in cemeteries, and not just in North Carolina. Cochranville Cemetery. [2014]

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Adairsville, Georgia

America's Most Famous Lighthouse:  Here's the Cape Hatteras Light in the contiguous zone. It may not be tubular, but you can recognize it by its unique stripes. They serve as daymarkers. Every light has a different appearance so mariners will know where they are during the day. What are your daymarkers? What marks your path through life? Eastview Cemetery. [2013]

Monday, February 6, 2017

Lumberton, North Carolina

America's Most Famous Lighthouse:  Do you recognize the Cape Hatteras Light? The candy stripes give it away. Americans love superlatives, and the tower at Cape Hatteras is the nation's tallest. We love it so much we put it on our headstones and take it to heaven with us. In fact, it points toward heaven, presumably so visitors will know where we have gone. Thus, a landscape element becomes a deathscape element. Meadowbrook Cemetery. [2011]

Friday, February 3, 2017

Tuckerton, New Jersey

New Jersey's Barnegat Lighthouse:  How many lighthouses do you see here? What is the lifespan of each? One will last a few hours; one will last a few years; and one will last forever. Which one is which? What about the fourth light, the one who lasted over eight decades? Greenwood Cemetery. [2016]

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Tuckerton, New Jersey

New Jersey's Barnegat Lighthouse:  Each lighthouse is given a different pattern, which is sometimes enhanced by different colors. The designs are not for aesthetic purposes, but because the towers are used as navigational aides during the day. In fact, in this role, they serve as daymarkers. When people off the coast see a lighthouse, they know which one it is by its markings, and that's the way they know where they are. Perhaps this fisherman used the Barnegat Light as a daymarker during his many returns from Neptune's domain. Greenwood Cemetery. [2016]