the beauty of cemeteries, in eastern Kentucky

post #232
       During yesterday's evening trip to town for groceries I drove past multiple cemeteries, all beautifully cared for, ready for this Memorial Day Weekend.  As readers of this blog already know, as a photographer and as a resident, I have been very taken with these family cemeteries for a long, long time. So I decided that today I would show some of my earlier photos of some of these places. Then this evening and tomorrow morning, when the light is better, I will take current photos of cemeteries nearest to where I live to post next Sunday. (I post once a week, usually on a Sunday.)

        First, a cemetery in nearby Rowan County, connected to a small church which is no longer in regular use but in a beautiful location.  A friend who plans to be buried here was showing the place to me, near where she lives.

         Now a second pair of photos, in the fall, also connected to a church and in Rowan County.  I took these during the funeral and burial for the wonderful matriarch of a large family, Don Rita Butler.

     Next are three of the photos by John Flavell when we both photographed the final two miles to the family cemetery, for Dempsey McDaniel, at the family's request.

    Here are some photos from there later. I had my eldest granddaughter with me during that visit.  (I took some photos from this cemetery today, during the family gathering, which I will share next week.)

      
       This is the view from the hill where the cemetery is located:

      The next two photos are from the Catron Cemetery, again on the top of a hill, 

 and these last two are also along the ridge I live on. I include the mailboxes, because it is an indication of where I was was standing while taking the photos.  (All our mailbox numbers have changed since I took this photo, however.  We now have 911 in our county....)

      We are having beautiful weather this weekend. It is rich for families to gather in memory of family members no longer living, but not forgotten, giving the youngest generation a connection to their family history and a chance to play with cousins, among other things. I hope some of my readers share my interest in these important places.

the trip to the cemetery, by truck and by horse-drawn wagon

post #220

I stopped to make this photo of the burial site preparation as I was on the way to the funeral. 

       I should probably start by mentioning -- since I seem to have readers in various parts of the world -- that it is very common in our region to have a family cemetery in a hillside plot on a family's home place.  So, at the Monday evening visitation this week at the funeral home, for my neighbor and friend, Garry, whose photo was in last week's blog, I was asked if I would please make photos of the next day's trip to the cemetery after the funeral.  
       The family was planning first to carry the coffin 17 miles on the back of Garry's beloved red truck, almost to the home place, with his saddle strapped on over the coffin. Then, since he also loved all things horse, they planned to transfer the coffin to an open wagon on wheels, drawn by two horses, whose driver, Terry, is, I believe, a friend of Garry's. 
       The horses, the wagon, and friends and family who were helping waited on a corner not far from the home.  Several folks would be riding horses alongside the wagon.  One of those waiting horses was Garry's; it would be led, with the empty saddle.  
       When the funeral procession arrived, the coffin was transferred to the wagon, and the saddle was put on Garry's horse, who was led by Jonathon, seen in the photos with his red checked shirt.  All made the journey together -- the wagon, the horses, followed by the cars and trucks in the procession -- for the slow ride to the cemetery.
       The day was gray and quite chilly, but it wasn't raining or snowing like it could have been.  That helps me a lot.  I think the transfers took place around 4 p.m.  I forgot to think about time while I was working though of course that info is on my camera.  
        Nothing is staged so it's just chance what I can see without being aggressive. If I need to balance getting the photo I'd want with being respectful and caring, I always choose caring.  I know many of the people there, which is a help. They could perhaps understand what I was trying to do for the family, at their request.  Of course many people were taking photos as well, mostly with their phones, and someone I didn't know seemed to be taking some video.
      I hope these photos here do give an idea of what the occasion felt like.  They are some of the many moments I could have taken. I am putting less than half of the total photos here, mostly because of space considerations but also because of privacy issues.  Please note: The images are not worked over, so they appear as just what I could manage that day, warts and all.  My hope is that there are enough to tell a heartfelt story.  I offer these as my small part in a big tribute that took place this week for Garry by those who love him. 

  Next I drove ahead to the place where the horses and wagon were gathered, waiting.

Garry's horse, held by Jim

ready and waiting

The red truck arrives as part of the procession.

getting ready for the transfer

Terry Reynolds, driver

turning into the farm

Terry heading back

horses talking back and forth

finishing up the time at the cemetery

looking back at the house and barn from the cemetery

I very much enjoyed the ride I hitched to where my car was parked.... thanks so much!

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