While trying unsuccessfully to research where in Boston I saw a plaque with a quotation by William Bradford (the Common? The Public Garden?) I came across a fascinating blog.
I have always enjoyed strolling through cemeteries, reading the stones, marveling at some of the names (especially in New England), and paying tribute to Those Who Have Gone Before. I’ve visited the Old Granary Cemetery in Boston; the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna (Beethoven’s final resting place); Pere Lachaise in Paris (a veritable Who’s Who That’s Dead, including Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Isadora Duncan, Seurat, Richard Wright, and Chopin sans heart, which is buried in Warsaw); the Safed cemetery where Channah and her sons, as well as Rav Yitzhak Luria, are buried; the Mount Zion cemetery (to pay tribute to Oskar Schindler); the Warsaw cemetery which, on our Tragical History Tour, was actually one of the more uplifting places to visit, since unlike the camps, Jews there died of natural causes; and dozens of others. This interest of mine freaks the Cap’n out; he thinks it’s eerie.
But it’s not just about dead people. (I don’t see any when I visit a cemetery.) It’s about history, art, naming trends, and people’s lives. So for anyone interested in a fascinating tour New England art and social history, I highly recommend the blog Vast Public Indifference. Caitlin GD Hopkins uses humor, wit, photography, and considerable writing skill to explore topics such as “Hot Baby Names for 1710,” “101 Ways To Say ‘Died,'” and “Scalia On Grave Markers.” She gives recommendations for reading, and I also enjoyed reading her recommendation for a book about King Charles II and Restoration history. (It seems she and I have many interests in common.)
Most of my readers probably won’t find this of great interest, but I know one of you will. Enjoy, Mom!
(Click on this link to read her post about this stone marking the grave of a mother and her two daughters.)
Shimshonit 
I’ve found some interesting grave stones in Israel. The IDF cemeteries strictly enforce uniformity, but in other places they are amazingly creative.
I love graveyards, as well, and have several pics on my Flckr account of them here and in the UK. This is an interesting one I took in Scotland:
Batya: Got any pictures? I’d love to know what you’ve seen. Maybe write a post about it, and I’ll link to it.
Seth: Very cool photo. Thanks for sharing.
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