Sunday, October 17, 2010

sunday drive



Since today was a perfectly perfect fall day, we hopped aboard the old green Land Rover and took off for a Sunday drive. We took in a little antiquing, a bit of ice cream, and meandered through a rural cemetery. It's been so incredibly dry here, there wasn't as big a display of autumnal colors as I had hoped. Most of the leaves on the trees were a dry, drab, gray-brown.


The countryside in my neck of the woods is flat as a pancake.  The corn has all been harvested and there's nothing left but the dry flax colored bits of remaining stalks.




There's not much to see, except for the occasional farm house, water tower or abandoned barn which I snapped through the passenger side window. I'm sure if this old place could speak, it would certainly spin some fine old Americana.




At the antique center, I simply must try on every interesting hat I see. This particular one rivals Orson Welles' coffee table-ish hat in Macbeth, don't you think?  It definitely has a Shakespearian thing going on. This vendor offered both hats and books. My kinda guy.








We took the back roads home and stumbled upon the Somerford Cemetery, in Madison County, Ohio. Every year, I like to take at least one lovely autumnal walk through a cemetery. I enjoy the history, as well as all the various forms of funerary art. There is something very compelling, full of human truths, that draws me to these places of solace and beauty.





Somerford has a section of very old graves, most of which are covered with fuzzy moss, which is wonderfully atmospheric, but makes reading the inscriptions almost impossible. As you can see from the photo, many are sadly in need of repair. This one is accompanied by an unusual metal stand holding a stone orb. Last year, I posted a list of symbols in tombstone art, but I'm not sure the meaning of this separate orb. Is it somehow connected to Mormonism?

This smiling spider felt obliged to pose for me on one of the mossy grave stones.

56 comments:

  1. Not to worry. Zhivago was not replaced by Macbeth.

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  2. This glimpse into your world (it is flat)is so interesting, love all of your photos especially the first one.

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  3. Looks like a perfect day to me.

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  4. Willow, how fun to read your post tonight...I just got back from a 9 day whirlwind run around the state of Texas with my Mother visiting the family, visiting family members in old and new cemeteries, and having a run-in with a huge black spider.

    We went from Houston, to Tyler, to Amarillo, then down to Austin/San Antonio and back to Houston. Back in Rochester this afternoon after flying through Cincinnati. Yes, Ohio did look a bit dry from above, but Texas right now is positively parched.

    The Texas Panhandle Plains are also flat and seemingly empty, but the cotton crops were full and healthy. I took pics that didn't come out too well with the old 35mm Nikon, but will have a cotton story and some other things to post in the coming weeks.

    Wrote a short poem to be posted soon, inspired by a visit to the cemetery to visit my great grandfather and others.

    Sorry for this screed, but just appreciate the coincidence of my trip and your post!

    Cheers!

    Rick

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  5. Greetings Willow,

    Nothing like a good cemetery ramble - complete with moss and spiders.

    Cheers,
    Marjorie

    P.S. Love the hat. You look marvelous darling!

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  6. My sort of day! So now you've explained to me so beautifully why I've always loved cemeteries.

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  7. Rick, I'll be looking forward with much anticipation to your cotton post and poem about the cemetery!

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  8. I would have to have seen the inside of that barn. And that orb! Do let us know what that's all about; I've never seen, or heard of, this before. Great Sunday trip.

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  9. Seems as though Sunday was a day to be out and about. We trailed off to a local Iron Age hill fort, walked around the ramparts and got drunk on sunshine.

    Love the hat!

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  10. LOVE old barns and wish they could talk!

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  11. It sounds like a relaxing day - it's good to meander.

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  12. thanks for inviting us along willow. the autumn winds have blown most of the leaves of the trees here. the cemetery - i have one i walk through or bicycle through once every few weeks. it's peaceful, beautiful and has gorgeous old monuments. steven

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  13. Sounds like a lovely way to spend the day to me. Sometimes it's nice to have a little less to look at as you drive, let's the eye and the mind wander. You must buy that hat to wear to dinner, it's perfect!

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  14. I love wandering through historical cemeteries also Willow, so for me too, that would have been a wonderful way to spend the day.
    That hat is YOU!

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  15. Looks like a fun outing--& it seems like the weather was very fine. So did you get the hat? From your response to Jeffscape, I'm thinking you didn't.

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  16. Sounds like a lovely day.

    We don't have a lot of fall color here, either.

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  17. No, John, I didn't get this hat...BUT I did get another one, so stay tuned! ;^)

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  18. Wow! You certainly had a good day out. Thanks for taking us along.

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  19. Where did you getthathat
    Where DID you get that hat?


    I loved my little Sunday trip Willow, and now my journey to Brighton England on Wednesday seems like an indulgence. More like this please - at least I didn't have to fake understanding any poetry or nuffing. You understand English don't you Willow, so you wont be offended. Who was the absolutely lovely model who posed for you with the hat. You know such glamerous people - I am proud.

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  20. Heehee, flattery will get you everywhere, my friend. ;^)

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  21. The drive and antiquing sounds like something I would do. You look so good in hats.

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  22. I like cemeteries too - a ramble through one in Mechanicsburg earlier in the summer produced a poem (about an infant death). I remember that I wanted to go back when it wasn't so hot - better notify Dr. M that a road trip is in order!

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  23. I much prefer old cemeteries to modern ones. Modern ones are so blah and boring, no wonderful monuments. why is that? Too expensive nowadays or do the cemeteries not allow them, are the plots deed restricted? I noticed that orb right away. wonder what it signifies?

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  24. what a lovely day of making memories
    I love just meandering around the countryside with my sweetie
    ...and old cemetaries are first on the list
    followed by antique stores
    and of course old barns
    and we like to drop in the local diner too....people watch

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  25. Thanks for the lovely Sunday ride, I thought of that, but since I was hip deep in work, I dismissed it. But I got to go along with you. Thanks.

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  26. oh, hats and books...the perfect day!

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  27. Just the kind of weekend outing I love...from antiquing to ice cream. Your photos are divine:)

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  28. I've always loved taking Sunday drives, though I haven't done it for years. The idea of just getting in the car and going...with no particular destination in mind...appeals to me. Sounds like you had a fun day. When do we get to see your new hat?

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  29. Lovely photos. It's, I suppose, the best time of the year to roam through a cemetary.

    Sounds like you had a great day. Thanks for sharing.

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  30. Your antique mall looked huge! A cemetery is a very contemplative place -- always feel a mystical aura when I visit them. Perhaps it is all in my mind -- or not? -- barbara

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  31. Oh, dear Willow. I think we are soul-twins. You have just described my perfect kind of Sunday! Antiquing, meandering, cemetery-walking ... followed by ice-cream; lovely, lovely, lovely!

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  32. Ooooh how I love a lazy Sunday afternoon.

    When I was a child, it was such a big deal to "go for a drive". My mother didn't drive, so it was always a special time, at the weekend, with dad at the wheel. Ice cream at the 'double-dip' was de rigeur and made these outings all the more sweet.

    I too love funerary art especially the angels. Thanks for jogging the memory once again.

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  33. Sunday drives are the best and yours looks especially nice. Too bad about the lack of color this year. I fear that our neck of the woods looks dried up and gray brown as well. Some years are just like that.

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  34. Strangely, I thought the hat had more of a Richard III thing going on!

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  35. Well, if you passed up that hat, the one you got must have had a great deal more character. Do let us have a look!

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  36. We Mormons appreciate symbolism, but a sphere at a grave is not one of which I've heard. It must have had personal significance to the person interred. Too bad the moss obscures other clues! Lovely pictures.

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  37. Of course I love all the photos, but I think the hat one is my favorite.

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  38. Looks like we both did a bit of travel over the weekend. We headed to the coast of California (Mendocino and Ft. Bragg area). It was a wonderful weekend where it seemed that everything I looked at had a beautiful texture...almost as if my eyes were opened to another dimension or something. It seems to me that your eyes have seen the details also. We are privileged to have our eyes opened, don't you think?

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  39. You did look stunning in Orson's
    hat, but it will be even more exciting
    to find out the hat you did by.

    I am getting re-interested in
    photography, now that the
    digital age is upon us. Back
    in the day I used to shoot
    35mm, but could not keep up
    with the expenses for processing.

    Some of my fantasies were that
    my photos would be so terrific,
    that several collections of them
    would be turned into coffee
    table oversized books.

    Some of my favorite things
    to shoot were:
    pioneer cemeteries,
    antique car wrecking yards,
    waterfront wonders near
    fishing boats, tug boats,
    and ocean going vessels,
    covered bridges,
    and train yards;
    and of course the section
    on ghost towns, old barns,
    and water towers with the
    little known town names
    on them.

    You hit a bunch of my
    favorites during your ride,
    bless your heart; good eye
    and good camera by the way.
    Madison County does have
    some great covered bridges
    I've heard.

    Here in the mountainous
    Northwest, we drive an hour
    to the ocean, or an hour to
    the Cascades mountains,
    or an hour to the Olympic
    mountains, and our Sunday
    drive might be to hug the
    winding roads around Mt.
    Rainier en route to Packwood,
    WA, to the Cruiser Tavern
    to get dynamite pizza, and
    great Texas style chicken
    gizzards; forests, farms,
    beach coming, all at our
    doorstep. Growing up in
    Washington State, I only
    relocated once as an actor,
    living in California for a
    decade, but coming home
    was pure delight.

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  40. THAT HAT!!! Love that hat! and the spider! What a pleasant sunday!

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  41. Willow,

    Very nice photos! The topmost one with the moss (?) has great texture.

    The O. Welles hat -- yes! as Wolsey? -- go for it, girl!

    Trulyfool

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  42. Thanks, Glenn, I just use my trusty little Canon PowerShot. For a basic digital camera, I think it is wonderful!

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  43. Thank you for the Sunday ride...no stop for ice cream or hot chocolate? Love the cemetery, love the fields, the hat...not so much!

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  44. I love this day, thank you for sharing this with us.

    The thing I loved the most is "the old green Land Rover" - somehow, that seems to be the perfect Willow car!

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  45. BlueSky, we both had twisty swirl vanilla cones in the tiny town of Plain City. (named for the plain folk, the Amish)

    Marion, thanks! It's a much loved dark green '96 Land Rover Discovery. It's been the best car ever.

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  46. Lovely post and pictures, Willow. What is that orb?

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  47. Tom, I've never seen an old stone orb on a stand alongside a tombstone like this. I did a little research, and found that orbs are important in Mormonism, but can't make a connection. I'm hoping someone out there will know.

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  48. Sunday drives are the best, especially when accompanied by ice cream, antiques and cemeteries. My favorite things!

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  49. Oh, I love wandering around cemeteries - it comes from growing up next door to one. They are fascinating glimpses into the past and havens for wildlife too.

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  50. Not sure about the separate orb. Why do you ask if it's connected to Mormonism?

    I've been to several cemeteries in Utah, buried with what I would guess 90% Mormons, and never seen a stand-alone orb like that one.

    It might symbolize the earth, or eternity (the circle, a symbol of one great whole, uniting us to God, the heaven & earth & everything in it).

    I love cemeteries and miss the one I used to live near while in college. It was my thinking place.

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  51. Terresa, when I googled "orb" I found several sites that mentioned it being prominent symbol in Mormonism.

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  52. What a wonderful day. I especially love the old barn.

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  53. I was raised Morman, but have not been active since I graduated seminary, and while I was never taught this through and reading or teaching I was taught (although I was not permitted inside a temple) an orb to me symbolizes the sum of numerous celestial collisions.

    A celestial body that endures enough breaking hits and shattering collisions eventually begin to take the sphere shape as it's physical characteristic.

    An orbiting orb symbolizes protection. The orb that orbits (when it has a gravitational pull large enough) actually does prevent many collisions, celestially speaking.

    And with regards to the spider, it's kind funny how that little guy closely resembles a very poisonous species of the common name Hobo. But the spider in the image is harmless and very common (more common than the look-a-like common name Hobo)

    Cool post Willow, I will have to read through your blog, as I have a feeling there is a lot to you I am missing.

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  54. I was raised Morman, but have not been active since I graduated seminary, and while I was never taught this through and reading or teaching I was taught (although I was not permitted inside a temple) an orb to me symbolizes the sum of numerous celestial collisions.

    A celestial body that endures enough breaking hits and shattering collisions eventually begin to take the sphere shape as it's physical characteristic.

    An orbiting orb symbolizes protection. The orb that orbits (when it has a gravitational pull large enough) actually does prevent many collisions, celestially speaking.

    And with regards to the spider, it's kind funny how that little guy closely resembles a very poisonous species of the common name Hobo. But the spider in the image is harmless and very common (more common than the look-a-like common name Hobo)

    Cool post Willow, I will have to read through your blog, as I have a feeling there is a lot to you I am missing.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)