Old Tombstone

I happened upon this cockeyed, timeworn tombstone at the little cemetery near our cabin.  The bright flowers attracted me to the cemetery as I drove past.  This lonely marker with its carvings faded by time and the elements stood out against the bright green and pink of the young spring growth in the background.

The Tomb Of Lewis Cass

As famous Michiganders go, Lewis Cass stands as one of the most famous of all.  He served as our territorial governor 1813 to 1831, during which time he is credited with designing the state seal of Michigan.  A stylized version of the seal appears on his tombstone.

After serving as the territorial governor, Cass went on to serve as the United States Secretary of War, Ambassador to France, United States Senator for Michigan, and United States Secretary of State.  In 1848, he ran for President, losing to Zachary Taylor.  When he vacated the his Senate seat in 1857, my favorite historical Michigander, Zachariah Chandler, was elected in his stead.  Until recently, statues of Cass and Chandler stood in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall representing Michigan.  However, Chandler's statue was replaced by Gerald Ford a few years ago.  Both Cass and Chandler are interred in Detroit's Elmwood Cemetery.  The obelisk marking Chandler's grave rests about 100 yards to the east of Cass's tomb, separated by a pond.

Catholic Cemetery - Dayton, Ohio

Valerie and I continued our tradition of seeking out the nicest cemeteries we can find on our trip.  In older cities with larger populations, you can find some of the most beautiful artwork in cemeteries.  This trip, the Catholic cemetery in Dayton happened to be the nicest one we located.  It had some amazing sculptures on the monuments. 

Pump

I photographed this old hand pump in a cemetery a few days back.  It caught my eye because of the dark shadow it cast.

Late Summer Shadows

I have found that cemeteries are some of the most interesting places to photograph.  Many old cemeteries in big cities have very ornate stones commemorating the once important citizens of yesteryear.  Other cemeteries, like the Gunnisonville Cemetery near Dewitt, Michigan, have simpler stones for the simpler folks that lived there once.  The angle of the sunset on these stones made for a dramatic photo last week when I was there with Valerie as she prepared for the historical society's cemetery walk.  The late summer shadows in the evening are starting to come at an angle that signal the days are getting shorter and winter will soon arrive - very apropos for a cemetery.