Quirky Graveyards of Humboldt County

A Rhododendron in bloom drops tiny petals
from its wilting Azaleas onto a raised gravestone.
- Ferndale Cemetery

    If there's ever a time to share my love of graveyards, it's October! I'll admit that I can't drive by a beautiful cemetery without stopping to walk around. I love to read the headstones, from the years the deceased had on planet Earth to what inscriptions they chose to lay on top of them forever set in stone. But perhaps my favorite thing to read is the names of the people who have come and gone before me. I'm a writer so I covet interesting-sounding names and I love to follow the trends of the centuries. I also love to photograph the objects people lay on their loved ones. I've seen everything from jewelery to plastic gnomes and each object moves me in a new way, igniting inspiration within me to write about mortality and human connections.

A stunning single-handed violinist wrapped in a rubber-band with a sugar pouch
- An unnamed grave site in Petrolia

The only display to represent this life
was an American flag and a bottle of booze.
- Petrolia

A wilted yellow rose next to a winter squash
- Masonic Cemetery in Rohnerville

Statues that have been weathered by the elements adorn graves,
bringing personality to the deceased.
- Petrolia