No, nobody died. The kids all had their annual physicals yesterday, so we went to the next city in order to accomplish that lovely, all day ordeal. Since Jeff works in the next city and his insurance covers doctors there, we decided to switch the kids to a new doc. there. Whenever they need to go to the doctor, I take Jeff to work, take the kids to the doctor, then we hang out until he is finished at work. Yesterday we decided to go to a really cool cemetery that is reported to have a really cool waterfall in it. Well, you all know how I love waterfalls!!!
We picked up a map of the cemetery upon our arrival. Unfortunately, the waterfall was not labeled on the map, just a bunch of grave plots. Can you imagine, my waterfall wasn’t important enough!?! A creek and small lake (pond) were however marked, so we parked at the lake. Next to the lake is a mausoleum garden. As I got out of the car, I grabbed my camera and turned it on. There were 3 little dashes, indicating no memory card. With great restraint (from throwing the camera into the pond) I put it back in the car and asked Kyle if I could use his instead. He graciously (feeling pity, I think) agreed to share. His camera takes better pictures anyway!
Kyle took pictures of a couple neat mausoleums.
This statue, “Little Girl,” is in memory of all children.
We had to be careful as we navigated around the lake, there were geese (and goose offerings) everywhere.
Kyle took a picture of this Koi in the lake.
Although not a fan of Greek mythology, I thought “The Three Graces” was a neat statue. Apparently these 3 goddesses were supposed to have dispensed beauty, charm, and mirth to mortals. I think they just make a cool statue.
I couldn’t find anything on these two little girls. Kyle and I read the plaque on the front, but neither of us could remember any of the details. I guess we will have to go back sometime.
This monument stuck up much higher than the surrounding headstones and I also found the contrast between this very old stately monument and the more modern one, further uphill to the right, amusing.
The Letchworth-Skinner Mausoleum is the most expensive in the cemetery. The interior is apparently constructed of Italian and Egyptian marble on 3 levels. In 1872, when it was erected, it cost $100,000. Seems like a lot of money to spend on the deceased! As of 2001, there were 32 family members buried there.
I just thought this little Mausoleum in the hillside was neat.
My children found the “doorbells” on this monument humorous. They really do look like doorbells.
This is a monument in the honor of Paul Schoellkopf. His family was responsible for providing electricity for street lamps and street cars in the Buffalo area in 1896.
Kyle took this picture of the chapel and crematory.
The day was rather hot, and just as we were running out of steam and getting ready to head back to the car, I spotted this guy. I couldn’t resist taking his picture! Isn’t he cool? I am not certain of his story, but he is definitely neat!
This is the very small, rather unimpressive waterfall that I set out to find. Unfortunately, the stream at this point is in a rather deep ravine and the brush is very overgrown on the sides, making it nearly impossible to see. It sounded much more impressive. Too bad I couldn’t record the sound of it for you.
As we were driving out of the cemetery, Kyle asked me to snap a picture of the geese on my side of the car. I had Jeff’s car and his driver side window does not work, so I had to open the door. Apparently that didn’t make this one goose nervous at all. I thought she was going to come right in!
As I said before, the day was very hot but we had brought water with us. Erin is very thin and usually a little chilly even when the rest of us are a little warm. At one point she began complaining of stomach cramps and being too warm. When I looked closely at her, I decided we better make a beeline for the car and try to stay in the shade in so doing. She was obviously suffering from too much heat and a little dehydration. Even though I had brought water, Erin is not a fan, unless she is extraordinarily thirsty. Unfortunately, by that point the rest of us had almost finished the water, leaving her a mere sip or two. As we walked back to the car, I was a bit concerned about her, but figured she would be okay. Suddenly Erin announced that she thought she saw a man that looked like Jesus. At this point I became VERY concerned, thinking she was hallucinating. Then I realized there were several men wearing togas wandering about in the cemetery. This struck me as quite odd and piqued my curiosity. Kyle was too shy to get a good picture of them and I was too busy getting Erin into the air conditioning to bother, so we have no pictures. I did however ask them what they were doing and was informed that they were filming a movie. I don’t know about you, but I found that odd (for a cemetery)!
Mockingbird Imagery 