Elk Cemetery

I spent a little bit of time yesterday at Cuffy's Cove Catholic Cemetery in Elk, California. Elk is a very small town in Mendocino, California (Population is about 200, so once again, a wonderful town with more people in the cemetery than in the town!)

This cemetery has a beautiful ocean view, and is surrounded by beautiful trees. (No bunnies were out that day though). There are a wide variety of grave markers from wooden to mausoleum (okay, only one mausoleum) and a few with the traditional weeping angels (my favorite).

One of the things I love about small town cemeteries is the upkeep. Very often they will have a "cemetery clean up day" where the towns garden club (and other volunteers) pick a Saturday and clean everything up.

Many of the graves at this cemetery still had their "flag day" flags on them, but I took it as a sign that someone is decorating the cemeteries for the different holidays. As long as someone cares, that is all that matters.

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Two are always better than one...

I one of the reasons I like "cemetery wildlife" is that is can take the "scary and weird" aspect about cemeteries. Animals are supposed to be very sensitive to spirits and such, so I think I feel better as long as the bunnies are around!

Surely bunnies would run in terror at the presence of spirits and, since I trust their safety judgment, I feel safe knowing they are there! (Besides...why would anyone haunt a cemetery???? You would think a spirit would rather be where they lived, or died, or something...not a cemetery. Especially if they never spent any time at the cemetery while alive!!)

I know I would be bored haunting a cemetery. I mean -- there is not always someone there, and I would hate to think of having all the bunnies run away from me. They would be my main source of entertainment!

I will admit that I do get very happy when the bunnies let me get just a little bit closer than the last time I was there. Maybe I am becoming a "bunny" regular!

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I blame Stephan King...

I have never been to a pet cemetery. I know there are a few near me, but I have never gone to one. I am not sure why. Pets are like family, and I can understand the need to have a memorial for a pet. (I tend to cremate and take with me).

I have always enjoyed animal memorial statues. Heroic animals that helped during times of crisis (not just wars, but heroic war animals tend to get statues a lot).

For some strange reason, I think I stay away from pet cemeteries because I would feel real grief about those entombed there. Animals can never express how they want to be memorialized, or even IF they want to be memorialized, but then again, cemeteries are more for the living than for the dearly departed.

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Rocky the cemetery squirrel

Anywhere there is peace, tranquility and lots of trees, you will find squirrels. I was able to get pretty close to this squirrel. His friends were a few yards away, on the ground, hiding behind headstones and looking for food.

I have always wanted a bird feeder on my cemetery plot. (I am sure there are rules against it, but a girl can dream). Or maybe a bird bath. I would love to have birds visit me everyday for their breakfast. I have bird feeders now, and love to watch all of the different kind of birds that come to visit me.

Surround yourself in death with the things you enjoyed in life. I mean what harm can there be???

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Where everybody knows your name

I love small town cemeteries. Odd Fellows Cemetery is located in Point Arena, California. Point Arena today has less than 500 residents, and has a cemetery with one of the most beautiful views of the ocean. (If I were to be buried here, my tombstone would say (I finally got my ocean front / view property!)

Despite being such a small town, I have been able to find soldiers killed from all of the 20th Century wars. (Including World War 1). It is hard to imagine the grief a small town must have to have one of their own killed overseas.

The next town over is Manchester. It has a population of less than 150, and a very small cemetery Evergreen.

Two weeks ago they had a volunteer effort to clean up Evergreen. (Mostly gardening was needed). The last time I was there, I took the above photo. The McMullens are buried next to their FIVE infants. I can not imagine the grief of having all five of your children die in infancy.

It is touching when a community comes together to take care of their local cemetery. Especially when the number of cemetery residents outnumber the living city residents!

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Looks are often deceiving

Gone are the days where people could speak "cemetery." People used to put great thought and a lot of time into choosing a grave marker. Take John W. Rock (he is buried in one of my favorite cemeteries Sacramento Old City Cemetery). Many people today would look at this marker and think "a Calvary guy", but looks are deceiving!

By looking at this brave man on his horse I know that he was wounded in battle, but did not die from his injuries. (The horse has one leg raised, as opposed to two, which means killed in battle).

Everything on a tombstone means something...from the flowers to the ornaments. Today people put basic information (name, dob, dod, title). I wish people would go back to telling the story of the persons life through pictures and sculptures. Tombstones were once a celebration of life, and today, they are simply a cliff note.

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A tale of two tombstones

Sometimes the simplest statements speak the loudest. I have always had a soft spot for this grave marker. It is one of the few "home made" ones in the cemetery. It is a simple stone, in a sea of expensive and ornate markers. It is difficult to read. (I think it reads DIED JOMIE 1878), but the weather has worn it down a bit.

I know that death was much more "common" in 1878, but I can only imagine how difficult it would be to make a grave marker for a loved one. I know that huge, ornate statues were in vogue at the time, but they were costly, and not everyone could afford one. (Side note: due to the cemetery moving locations three times before 1915, we have ZERO ornate statues in our cemetery. No weeping angels, nothing. We do have a few mosoleums, and a few large markers, but no ornate weeping angels---maybe I will be the first!! LOL).


The only other "home made" markers are in the Chinese section of the cemetery.

These graves are always clean and filled with plants. Very few of the grave markers are "traditionally mass produced" ones and generally have the information about the person in both Chinese and English.

I think the bunnies like this section of the cemetery due to all of the shade and gardens. There are often four or five who hang out under the trees here. Bunnies are smart that way.

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A picture is worth a thousand words...

Looks can be deceiving. At first glance, this photo appears to be very "politically incorrect." Indians -- as in a group lumped together -- buried at the ranch.

Truth be told...the Hawkins ranch eventually became my local cemetery. The Indians were workers, that had died long before the property was sold to the city. The marker, is in the middle of the Hawkins family plot. With the Husband, Wife and Children. A marker that matches the rest of the family.

Since I was a child, there has always been flowers on all of the Hawkins plots. (As you can see from the photo). The plots are always taken care of, and are in a very "upper class" part of the cemetery.

So, the Indian workers were treated like family. Buried in the family plot, and still being honored, almost 150 years later.

Sometimes---looks really can be deceiving.

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Peacocks forever!

When I travel, I try and go to cemeteries whenever possible. I used to go to Los Angeles a lot of work travel, and was fortunate enough to go to the Hollywood Forever cemetery. If I lived down south, I would love to be buried there.

Not just because of all of the celebrities buried there, but more for the wonderful cemetery wildlife. Including the peacock above! There are several that live there, and I would love to know that my final resting place would be visited by peacocks!! (There are also ducks there, about whom I will post at a later date.)

There is a beautiful "housing unit" they all live in. As you can see, it has a lovely mirror decor, and lots of perches and sunshine. Although they are loud, they are friendly, and do not mind having their photo taken!

I did not see any bunnies though. (Of course weekends there are a bit hectic, and I am sure they were napping in a nice, cool spot somewhere.)

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Old No Name

When I was a teenager, I came across this tombstone in my local cemetery. Directly to the left, is a much larger headstone from the 1920's with all of the standard tombstone information. It is located very close to a chain link fence, and is under some huge flower bushes.

I always wondered the story behind the tombstone. Did the gravediggers in the 1920's find this body when they were digging the grave of the other person? Did they died together and no one knew who this person was? Was it a scandal in a small town? Was it a Native American worker who was buried? (There is a marker somewhere in the cemetery marking "all of the Indians" that were buried on the property "unmarked" due to the property being a ranch long before it was a cemetery.)

I used to leave flowers on this grave (even though I have family buried here, I tend to not leave them flowers -- which is odd). For some reason -- No Name has always had a soft spot in my heart. I did clear off some leaves and dead grass from around it yesterday.

No Name (and no gender or any other information) does not mean "No One Cares."

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Taphophile

I have always loved cemeteries. Even as a very young child, I used to beg my Mother to pull over at every cemetery we would pass so I could look at all the tombstones. (A toddler taphophile???)

I have also always been fascinated with animals that make cemeteries their home. My local cemetery has wild bunnies that roam throughout the grounds. (It makes sense though -- lots of quiet, lots of grass, and very few people. If I were a bunny, I would want to live in a cemetery!)

I am not sure how many bunnies live there, but I have seen five different ones, that tend to be in the "old section" of the cemetery. There are a lot of trees, and hiding places. I did see a cat this morning, but apparently it was in no mood for a photo shoot. (It also had a collar, so hopefully it ran back home).

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