My interest in cemeteries started in my childhood when I would visit New England during the summer, and I've passed my love of cemeteries onto my daughter. I love the history of them, the aesthetics of the early tombstones, and I find them very peaceful. I call them my, "happy places." I've even been known to visit cemeteries while on vacation. My daughter walks to one that's near her work and has lunch at it. I send her, "Wish you were here," photos of the cemeteries I go to. We might be a little weird.

I also volunteer for Hospice. When people ask me what I do, or what my hobbies are, I tell them I work with people who are dying and I hunt for grave sites. I get strange looks and comments like, "you must be really in to death." I'm not in to death; I'm just comfortable with it.

I especially love pioneer cemeteries. I could happily wander through them for days, and sometimes do, making multiple trips when I'm not able to make it through my list. I purposely pick out-of-the way cemeteries, because I know those requests aren't likely to be fulfilled. I make a day of it, pack a lunch, put in an audio book for the drive and enjoy the journey.

Fulfilling requests is an honor to me, and I consider cleaning up sites part of the deal. To this end, I carry a gardening kit of sorts with me, and I've actually been mistaken a couple times for a grounds keeper, which I find hilarious. Apparently, a perfect stranger cleaning up another perfect stranger's grave site isn't a common occurrence.

My interest in cemeteries started in my childhood when I would visit New England during the summer, and I've passed my love of cemeteries onto my daughter. I love the history of them, the aesthetics of the early tombstones, and I find them very peaceful. I call them my, "happy places." I've even been known to visit cemeteries while on vacation. My daughter walks to one that's near her work and has lunch at it. I send her, "Wish you were here," photos of the cemeteries I go to. We might be a little weird.

I also volunteer for Hospice. When people ask me what I do, or what my hobbies are, I tell them I work with people who are dying and I hunt for grave sites. I get strange looks and comments like, "you must be really in to death." I'm not in to death; I'm just comfortable with it.

I especially love pioneer cemeteries. I could happily wander through them for days, and sometimes do, making multiple trips when I'm not able to make it through my list. I purposely pick out-of-the way cemeteries, because I know those requests aren't likely to be fulfilled. I make a day of it, pack a lunch, put in an audio book for the drive and enjoy the journey.

Fulfilling requests is an honor to me, and I consider cleaning up sites part of the deal. To this end, I carry a gardening kit of sorts with me, and I've actually been mistaken a couple times for a grounds keeper, which I find hilarious. Apparently, a perfect stranger cleaning up another perfect stranger's grave site isn't a common occurrence.