My Back 40 (Feet): The California Trip, Part Twelve: Cambria Cemetery

5/26/08

The California Trip, Part Twelve: Cambria Cemetery

We stayed over one night in Cambria. The town is lovely, but I thought the cemetery was especially photogenic.

Hearst Castle in Part 13.

7 comments:

Christopher C. NC said...: I have never seen a cemetery where they allowed that much freedom of expression. Interesting.; May 27, 2008 at 5:53 AM
Les said...: I like this kind of cemetery; you get a sense that the departed had a real personality and is still missed. It scares me how many rolls of film I had paid for development, that were shot in graveyards.; May 27, 2008 at 4:50 PM
Annie in Austin said...: That's what I was thinking, Chuck - most of the modern cemeteries I've seen are very strict about what's allowed, with few plants allowed in the ground.

Maybe one big difference is that this burial ground is under tree canopy and covered with stones and rocks, while many IL cemeteries are covered in grass. So they are not allowed to be special, or beautiful, or emotionally helpful to the mourner, but are designed for efficient mowing.

I love the colored glass decorating the fitted stone area.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose; May 27, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Anonymous said...: I love touring cemeteries too, Chuck. Annie, visit Austin Memorial Park right off Hancock Dr. for a cemetery much like this one. There are lots of plots decorated to reflect the personalities and interests of the departed.; May 27, 2008 at 7:16 PM
chuck b. said...: I imagine water is too scarce in Cambria for a cemetery lawn.

Also it's old (by California standards anyway). Old cemeteries always have more character than not-so-old cemeteries.; May 28, 2008 at 12:26 AM
lisa said...: If I were planning to be put in the ground, I'd want a cool plot like some of those. However, I'd rather be cremated and sprinkled on my own garden...spending the hereafter as mulch, worm food, bone meal, whatever.; May 30, 2008 at 8:59 AM
Creative-Edge Images said...: I grew up in Cambria, and can tell you that I have many friends buried up there. If you noticed there are many young people buried there. Many of them died before the age of 18. I know that the cemetery in Cambria prides itself on the fact that so many take the time to make their loved ones final resting place a peaceful setting that make visitors feel welcome. It now has picnic tables, a very nice gazebo, and alot of locals go there just because it is such peaceful place to sit and think, read or just walk around.
There is really no limit on how you can express your loved ones resting place. The one real beauty of the place is that in all the years I have been going there, there has been no vandalism, and anything that is placed on a gravesite stays. Nothing to my knowledge has ever been stolen from the cemetery.; March 14, 2009 at 12:21 PM

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