On The Verge of Another Autumn

We are on the verge of another Autumn here in New England - that place synonymous with the season.  Just last week I caught a glimpse of a bright fiery red tree off to the side of the road behind a line of pine trees.  I had to break suddenly much as I do when I see a cemetery (no one was behind me) and turn off to see if I could get an angle on it. 

No luck.  

It was well protected by pine and oak as well as smaller bushes growing around it on the edge of a swamp.  Soon though, as I see other trees with branches tipped in red are starting their transformation, I know Autumn will be in full blaze. I have seen over 50 Autumns.  I had not thought of my life in seasons before and that number does not seem nearly a large enough number of times to view the brilliant color changes.  I grew up in the Midwest and felt an early draw to New England.  I am pretty sure I was the only teenage girl in my town who had copies of Yankee Magazine mixed in with my Tiger Beat issues.  (And I am talking about the original, small format Yankee - the best!).  

Autumn in the Midwest is quite stunning.  It is full of golden shades that glow in the sun.  New England draws more folks to visit and "leaf peep", I believe, because there are more of the amazing reds and blushy oranges as well as the golden yellows. 

I love cemeteries in Autumn!  How can I not?  As a nature photographer, I find many of my best subjects in Cemeteries (ponds full of frogs, moss full of mushrooms).  In the Autumn at a garden cemetery, the trees are simply stunning and generally do not have the issue of power lines and other things getting in the way of a great image.  

This image from Mount Vernon Cemetery in West Boylston, MA was taken in mid-morning on a sunny October day in 2018.  This tree is one of my favorites.  There is no time of year that this tree fails to present its glory as it stands guardian over the surrounding graves and monuments that date from the 1800's to the present.  

You will hear me downplay my photographs and my abilities.  I use a "point and shoot" Sony camera which I love in spite of its heft. I do get wonderful results when I am calm, patient and thoughtful about the composition.  Don't rush yourselves when taking photos of anything.  Take your time and take a lot of options from a lot of angles.  I am ecstatic when I get one great image out of a hundred.   Am I the only one that remembers the old days when you had to pay for processing?  Digital cameras and now phone cameras becoming so sophisticated can make anyone a great photographer. 

The following three photos were taken in 2012 during my statuary obsession.  All three of these are from cemeteries in Worcester, MA and show how amazing Fall color can provide a stunning backdrop to a subject.  To the right is a detail from the "zinkie" or white bronze monument  of the LaFontaine family.  Isn't that face beautiful?  I have found at least one but sometimes as many as four zinkies in most larger New England garden cemeteries.  Some even have the footstones still in tact.  It's become a gift to me, to see one and generally I see their blue green finish from a distance (even when driving by).

 

2012 was a great year for color in the Autumn.  Every year isn't always what we hope in terms of Fall color. Every year of our lives isn't always what we hope, now is it?  If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we have to roll with the punches or "pivot" as is the popular term now.  Being a bit of a loner, I found that quarantine did not prohibit me from going to cemeteries (except for Mount Auburn in Boston which did close to visitors except for family members).   Some walking areas were also closed but it's a big place out there and I found many trails I could continue to wander.  I even found some new cemeteries to visit.   

 

I am looking forward to seeing what this fall has to share with us.  Will it be full of bright reds?  Will it devastate us with orange?  Will the trees hold their colors or will they change and suddenly fall?  I realize there is a lot of science involved - temperature, precipitation levels from the previous Spring, etc.  but I wait and I drive out and check my favorite spots.  I know there is a spot along the Ware River where the white birches seem to be the first to change.  They create a startlingly beautiful reflection in the river that lasts only a day or two.  Timing is important and we don't always have it, do we? 

Go outside.  Enjoy yourself, whether in a cemetery or not.  You can acquire a nice sense of peace in nature. Even if you don't have a photo in your camera to represent the day, you have the image in your memory.  I expect an Autumn full of potential and discovery.

If you are new to my blog I hope you will consider sharing it with like minded, cemetery obsessed people. 

Where Have I Been?

 I am returning to this blog from spending time on a corresponding social media page.  That social media site (whose name shall not be spoken)

is changing their format once again and I am tired of it so, that page will be closed and reopened here with photos, stories of my cemetery stalking, etc. 

After a couple injuries last year (one dislocated elbow - ow!  seriously! and one damaged knee) I am using cemeteries as many others are these days, for exercise as well as studying the stones, symbols and stories behind them.   With the vast number of cemeteries in my area it is very easy to select a rotating workout of 30 minutes in each, after which I permit myself to stroll with the camera and take pictures. 

Over the past few years there has been an evolution in my observations in cemeteries.  Basically, I go through phases.  Initially I was quite drawn to statuary.  Suddenly one day I noticed a "zinkie" and there was no turning back from that!  As always I am drawn to the early American slate stones prevalent in almost every little town cemetery here in Massachusetts.  Every so often I come upon a stone with an interesting story - such as the one of the woman who died from burns suffered in a fire.  She refused to leave her home until the last of her five children was saved.  By saving five children, imagine the generations after that she also saved and the possibilities of their individual achievements. 

Since I last wrote I believe I have had a couple computer crashes.  One of them lead me to reorganize all of my cemetery photos by state, town, cemetery and also a fun file of themes that I hope to share with you.  

I am remaining with a presence on Instagram as HeadstoneHaven.  Please feel free to follow me there for random photos.