Lookng Back

I retired 9 years ago

I've been going back through old photos, here's a "baker's dozen" of my favorites from that first year.



Heron, Laurel MD

When They Were Little And Full of Wonder

Azaleas, National Arboretum

Omaha, Nebraska

Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, Omaha

Rock House, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Waterfall, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Zebra Swallowtail Butteryfly

The Inaugural "Blink" Cincinnati

Old Milford Novitiate (Jesuit Cemetery), Milford, OH

Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC

Clifty Falls State Park, Madison, IN

Tulip Poplar Leaf in Fall

Everything is Political - Pioneer Cemetery Version

Recently, after posting some pioneer cemetery photos on another "site" I ended up in a discussion with a friend about old cemeteries. They said old cemeteries prompted them to reflect upon what it was like to live there back then. I replied; "these days old cemeteries (and especially the gravestones of infants and youth) are a reminder to me of how far we've come... "

...and how far people are willing to go backwards to make things "great again".

I used to think of what it was like to live back in the 1800's, but now all I can think of is the various childhood diseases, simple infections, etc. that killed large numbers of young people. There are plenty of 70+ and 80+ year olds in those cemeteries. The average life expectancy has jumped in the last ~125 years due in most part, not to people living older but instead to babies and children not dying because of two things.
1. Antibiotics.
2. Vaccines.
In general, if you made it through childhood diseases such as chickenpox, polio, mumps, measles, the random staph infection, etc. as a kid, you were on your way to a long life.

Just a VERY SMALL sample of the infants and children in a couple of the pioneer cemeteries I visited a couple weeks ago

One Year Old, Died 1904

Born and Died, October 31, 1924

Unknown Little One

Son of... Age 3 Months

Aces & Eights

Another nearby cemetery, Evergreen Cemetery, features a large headstone easily seen from the state route that goes past it. "Aces & Eights".
I finally stopped by on a recent afternoo and took a few photos in addition to the mandatory Aces & Eights.


Aces & Eights

All In A Row

Major League Baseball Buried Here

Evergreen Cemetery

Little Lamb So Common in the Pioneer Days

Carpenter's Run Pioneer Cemetery

Pioneer cemeteries (roughly mid 1800's) are quite common in Ohio and especially in the vicinity of the Ohio river valley. Growing up, I always knew this particular cemetery as "Plainfield Cemetery" but now, many, many years later, Blue Ash is a well developed area with expensive homes, golf courses etc and things have been "cleaned up" a bit, shall we say. "Carpenter's Run Pioneer Cemetery" is one of the beneficiaries of that development. I stopped by recently and took some photos. Someone, or ones, took the time to try to piece together broken headstones, and in general, really make and keep the whole cemetery neat and orderly.



A Jigsaw Stone

Melissa Hunt Nearby Hunt Road gets its name from this family

A Row of the Hunt Family Nearby Hunt Road gets its name from this family

Soldier from the Revolutionary War Many of the settlers in the south western Ohio region were veterans from the Revolutionary War claiming land grants

GPS Overview of the Cemetery

Three Scenes From a Graveyard

Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven Connecticut

Famous

Old

Sad

More Photography

More organization, more purpose, more focus.

My new goal is to get out and about a bit more locally. Take most of a day, go see and photograph new things. While at the same time continuing to expand some old ideas. So a little over a week ago, my first day trip was a drive out to Fallsville Wildlife Area to photograph the falls. I decided to take US50 east and photograph some of the old cemeteries along the way (old ideas). I also planned on driving back via SR28 west and photographing those old cemeteries. That last part along SR28, ended up being too ambitious. Although I did drive back on SR28, I didn't stop to photograph any of the old cemeteries along the way. (by then the light was pretty harsh anyway) I did get some nice photos of the cemeteries along US50 and for all but the first 5 minutes, I was the only one at the falls, so with no one to shoot around or rush me, I got a few good ones there too.

Fallsville Falls

Stonelick Cemetery, Owensville OH

Photos of a long time ago, taken last week

What the past looks like today...

St. Philomena Church & Cemeterey

St. Philomena Church & Cemeterey

St. Philomena Church & Cemeterey

St. Philomena Church & Cemeterey

St. Philomena Church & Cemeterey

St. Philomena Church & Cemeterey

St John in the Wilderness Cemetery

I haven't been good about keeping up the blog but on a recent vacation I stopped (again) at St John in the Wilderness Cemetery in Flat Rock, North Carolina. Here are some of my favorite shots from that stop.

Edward DeVere

Cross Marking a Slave Grave

Cross Marking a Slave Grave

Cross Marking a Slave Grave

May the Road Rise to Meet You

Sisters

Cross Marking a Slave Grave

Cross Marking a Slave Grave

Cross Marking a Slave Grave

Union Cemetery

Finally stopped by Union Cemetery on Branch Hill Guinea Pike. I haven't really been able to find much about it, the display there says it was last used in the late 1800's. I've driven by it a lot and always think, "when the weather is just so it could be nice to photograph." This morning was clear, crisp and cold with the leaves still on the ground. It might also be a good subject in the spring, in fog or snow too. Here are the resulting photos....maybe a few too many for the blog, but oh well.

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio

Union Cemetery - Clermont County, Ohio