CITY OF THE SILENT...

For as long as I can remember, I have loved cemeteries. We had several cool ones in my home town and I even did some rubbings. I can't explain where the interest came from, perhaps my mother, but I tend to seek out the quiet and calm amongst the idols of the dead. When I was still in MI I bought this book. It explains the iconography of headstones. I never realized that every flower, vine, celestial image, and group of letters represents something. Obviously, most cemetery symbolism has religious meaning, but it has been fascinating to learn why. The book contains numerous beautiful photographs as examples. When I moved to NorCal I realized that several photos came from Colma, a city just south of San Francisco. I promised myself I would go.
I finally fulfilled that promise a few weeks ago. Before I left, I did a little research to find maps and such. Come to find out Colma, California has more deceased residents than living. That is why it is also known by the title of this blog. Colma is largely just cemeteries. As San Fransisco grew, the 'smart' people realized that they needed that valued land for more important things like shopping malls and condos, thus they moved the bodies of thousands of people into mass graves. Not everyone was just dumped there, though. There are many famous people buried in Colma: William Randolph Hearst, Wyatt Earp, the Emperor of America, and Joe DiMaggio are just a few. I saw all but the last one.
The quote from the previous blog came from the headstone pictured there. It was written on the back. I read it and felt compelled to share it. The headstone is just one of many beautiful stones and statues I saw there. There is a more detailed picture of the dog and turtle on that headstone as well as several pictures at this site. Check them out and tell me what you think.
I am definitely going back sometime soon. There are many more beautiful things to see there.