Cemetery symbolism

I spent most of today working on my "Unlocking the Secrets of the Cemetery" program.

I cannot believe how many wonderful photos I have taken in my travels, that I really hadn't studied before! Looking more closely at the pictures I found so many more wonderful symbols! Among them are the butterfly, beehive, dog, griffin, morning glory, draped urn, ivy, wreath, and lots more.

Here's an example:


This is a wonderful example of a calla lily, ivy, and ferns from a cemetery outside of Bowling Green, KY.


When I go into a cemetery, I look for symbols -- some I know right away, and some just look neat, so I photograph them. When I first started this, Chris would patiently sit in the car, following me as I traipsed through the gravestones. Now I have him hunting right along side me!

So far I have photographed cemeteries in Ohio (Canton & Dayton), Michigan (Mason & Mackinac Island), Kentucky (Bowling Green), and South Carolina (Charleston). I will always regret that I wasn't that into cemeteries in grad school when we visited Boston! That is, until I return to New England. This is an ongoing project of mine...

I've also been doing bridal show fittings (one model had to cancel, sending us into a bit of a panic -- hopefully it will be resolved by the end of the week!), making posters for the car show (yes, it is that time already!), and helping Hallie with some signs for Discover World.

I am going to Canfield tomorrow to do my program on women's suffrage. Then on Thursday I am going to the Canton Woman's Club, but I cannot remember at all what program I am doing for them! (I am blogging at home right now so I can't even check my calendar!)

Plus we have History Day judges training on Thursday night, followed by History Day on Saturday! I am judging exhibits again this year. This year marks TEN YEARS since Chris and I became involved in History Day. We were regional judges back in grad school, then after that we were state judges in New York. When we moved to Ohio, Chris became coordinator for Region 5, and I continued as a judge. It is such a wonderful program!

But more about that on Monday, when it's all over!!