Traipsing About the Graveyard

Here's some thoughts from my latest forays into the local graveyards.  When I go to take photos of loved ones headstones who request them on Find A Grave, I look around at the other interesting monuments I see and take photos of them as well.  If no one has posted pictures of them on F.A.G., I post mine because you never know when their family will go looking online for them.  I also share the "interesting" ones with you all.
Aren't y'all glad to be lucky like that?! 8-)

I wanted to share this lovely memorial with you all.....

You gotta love a man who goes by the name of  "Toot", don't you?
Can you tell what he did for a living? lol

And isn't technology great?.....I realize you can't "see" the headstone up close, but to be able to take a photograph like that and etch it into a headstone with that much detail?  My photograph doesn't capture nearly enough the quality of this one.

Of course, I wonder how it will look in 80 or so years after the elements have had their way with this slab of polished granite.  It's so sad to see the state of some of these older headstones out here.....

This one is only 90 yrs. old and look how worn it is.  The quality of stones is so inconsistent.  Even within the same media the materials can wear badly on one stone and markedly worse on another.

How about these 2 headstones.  They are sitting next to each other in the cemetery where I went to take some volunteer pictures for Find A Grave.....

This is the one I went to photograph.

And this is the one right next door.
Notice the last name AND the husband's first names are identical.  Turns out the second guy is the son of the first guy.  Duh.

And I'm confused about something.  Obviously this 2nd couple liked to bowl and hunt.  But did Ann Marie have the shooting skills and Harvey have good aim at the balls?
This kind of stuff weighs on my mind people!

And this one here I have titled "She always gets the last word!"

Ernest and Violet Williams were married 60 years before Ernest went to his reward in 2001.
I am sure they had their share of "having words" with each other in those 60 years, as most married couples do.

Well Violet outlived Ernest by 5 years.
And since she was the last man standing(so to speak), SHE got the last word about what little symbols and icons to etch into the headstone that would be their memorial here on Earth into eternity.
The cross in the middle is pretty standard fare, but look at the pair of scissors and that ball of yarn......Violet's idea no doubt.  But what about Ernest's icons?  Unless Ernest made tin toys I don't see how a pair of scissors was representative of what he liked to do in life.

I am imagining the conversation in the living room back in the '90's.
As Ernest sat in his lazy-boy recliner with his copy of the newspaper, listening to some sports game on tv.

Violet: So what do you think Ernest?  I think I'm going to go for a ball of yarn or something crafty on my side of the headstone.....what do you think?   Ernest.....ERNEST?!

Ernest:  What?  What did you say?.....oh, the headstone again.  Why can't I enjoy my paper without you babbling on and on about this stupid marker!  What do I care?....I'll be dead!  I won't be looking at it so whatever.

Violet: Sometimes you are so pig headed I wonder why I ever married you!  You don't care about my feelings, do you?  Would it kill you to play along with me and help make a decision for a change?  After all Ernest, it IS your money.

Ernest:  And don't I KNOW IT!  Humph.....all that money for what?  A hunk of rock......

Violet:  Ernest!  You are just so mean.  You can get your own dinner tomorrow night!  sniffle, sniffle....wipes a tear or two away......you are just a monster.......quiet sobbing.......she hurries out of the room into the kitchen and takes a kleenex out of her apron pocket.....

Ernest: Violet!  Wait....come back!  There you go again......Violet turns and looks at him......I'm sorry, for real this time.  I'm just so tired tonight.  I didn't mean to get mad at you.  I've just had a bad week.  The fellas down at the VFW have been giving me fits over not going to Deer Camp last year.....and my blood pressure it up and that son of yours is driving me crazy with his calling here and asking me to invest in another of his lame brain schemes.  I knew we'd have problems with that kid from day one!
I've just been on edge and not myself honey.
I'm sorry....don't cry.......

Violet: Violet goes over to "her" chair and sits while dabbing at her eye.  Oh, I know you don't mean it.
I overreacted I guess.   You poor thing you.  Can I get you a beer or something?  I hate it when we fight.

Ernest puts down his paper and leans over and takes her hand and pats it.
Ernest: No, I'm ok.  I just want us to get along.  After all these years, we should be past stuff like this, right?  You just go ahead and put whatever you want on that headstone of ours.
Ernest raises his paper again to read.
Just make sure you don't put any of your girlie symbols and whatnot on MY side of the headstone!  Just put a buck or some antlers or a shotgun on my side of it....that'll be fine, mighty fine!

And for outliving her husband by 5 years, Violet gets the last words and her revenge on Ernest and 60 years of marriage by taking up all the real estate on that headstone with what SHE wanted on it.......

 

Sluggy