Garden of the Gods- Great Name, Great Place!

Garden of the Gods- such a big, bodacious name but in this case there’s no hype, this place is awesome! 

What a national treasure is the 1,341-acre park in Colorado Springs. I do not recall coming here when we lived in the area for three years in the early 1970s. Maybe we did and I just don’t remember. 

Our visit on this beautiful June 2024 day, I will never forget. 

Garden of the Gods is a series of large jutting sandstone formations. They were created by millions of years of geological processes such as uplift, erosion and faulting.

Fort Carson, Colorado- Returning to a Long Ago Home

 

Our Western trek next took us from Estes Park to Colorado Springs (144 miles). The Marriott Hotel where we stayed offers a great view of Pikes Peak. 

That’s snow-capped Pikes Peak, elevation 14,115 feet, in this photo. Great views of the Rocky Mountains abound! 

We would spend two nights in Colorado Springs where a highlight for me was going to Fort Carson, a nearby U.S. Army post where my family and I lived in the early 1970s. 

The post was first called Camp Carson when it opened in 1942 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Colorado Springs donated the land south of the city to the U.S. Army. The quickly bustling training center was named for the legendary Western frontiersman and scout Gen. Christopher “Kit” Carson. He died in 1868 at age 58 and is buried in Taos, N.M. (wish I had tried to find his grave when we were in Taos a couple days after this Ft. Carson visit). 

Western Birds and Other Critters

 

Capturing this rainbow on our first day in Colorado signaled a stellar start to a magical 10 day trip! 

I spotted the rainbow over the shoulder of my sister Ann at her and Paul’s beautiful home in the Estes Park area. 

Moving to their back porch I changed my iPhone setting to wide to capture the rainbow in full glory, then enhanced the image using the handy Snapseed app. 

Ann snapped this picture of me as we prepared to go to Mass. I was in photographer heaven out West in raw and rugged Colorado and New Mexico. From June 8-17 Alesia and I took a relaxing 460-mile multi-day drive from Estes Park, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The ultimate destination and event was my niece Nicole and Tyler’s wedding in Santa Fe. 

This post is the first of several documenting our interesting and illuminating trek. 

We visited Colorado in August 2022 and I wrote a post that also includes many bird and animal photos. 

I wanted to capture the lay of the land, from the many mountain ranges we would see…

…and the often fast-flowing rivers, creeks and streams…

…to the arid geography of southern Colorado and New Mexico. 

Mount Auburn Cemetery- America’s First and Finest

In Cambridge, Mass. is a vast and beautiful park that happens to be a cemetery. 

It is called Mount Auburn and has the distinction of being the first of its kind in America: a landscaped rural garden Victorian cemetery. 

Mount Auburn opened in 1831. Today it encompasses 170 acres in Cambridge and also parts of neighboring Watertown. More than 100,000 people are buried here. 

Wow! 

More on Mount Auburn's history here. 

The impressive entrance near Harvard University was built in 1842 of locally- quarried Quincy granite. The wings at the top are of ancient Egyptian influence symbolizing the sun and therefore power, according to cemetery material.

The inscription under the rings says the following: 

“Then shall the dust return to the Earth as it was and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7” 

Credit for founding this Garden of Eden of burial grounds is Dr. Jacob Bigelow (1787-1879), a Boston physician, botanist and Harvard professor. Bigelow chapel, (right) located near the entrance, was named in his honor. The grand Gothic Revival edifice, built in 1844 and rebuilt in 1855 (also of Quincy granite) emulates the style of cathedrals built in England, France and Germany in the 1200s or 1300s, a cemetery publication says. 

Another Busy Backyard Owl Season

 

Fast and furious is how I would describe what I immediately noticed upon our return from Boston on May 29. 

I got out of our car in the driveway ready to take in suitcases when I heard that distinctive young owl sound. 

I have described the sound as a shrill hiss or whistle. My neighbor calls it a screech. The sound is clearly not the hoot associated with owls. 

For four of five years in this time period: mid -to-late May to mid-to-late June, Barred Owls have been making daytime visits to the trees at my house and some neighbors yards. Here are links to a few of my posts in previous years. 

•  June 2022 Post (includes an owl in a birdbath on our back porch!)
• June 2023 Post

These are young Barred Owls that may not know that they are nocturnal. While the parents are sleeping during the day, the youngsters fly away to play. That could be what is going on- curiosity about this big wide world they are part of now. 

I'm the Guest on a Cemetery Podcast!!!

First time experiences can be exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. There was anticipation for the event to finally happen as the interview with me was set up months ago. But June 4 finally arrived and at 10 a.m. I was in my chair in our home office ready to talk Charleston and its many interesting cemeteries and graveyards. 

Dianne Hartshorn and Jennie Johnson have hosted "The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast" for more than three years. I was honored to be the guest for episode 188. They let me go on for more than an hour about my books "Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston" and "In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston's Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry" and how I became interesting in these offbeat topics. 

Here is a link to the podcast's page about my appearance.

On YouTube it can be viewed here: 

To just listen to the podcast (and not see us as you do in the YouTube video above), it is available via all the popular streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts. 

Dianne and Jennie are fellow "taphophiles" (obviously) and they were so much fun to speak with and share my passion for Charleston, S.C.- the Holy City! 

Boston- The Cradle of Liberty

A long Memorial Day weekend visit to Boston proved a positive revelation on many levels. The old city is one often depicted in movies, TV shows, books and other media. This was my first time in Boston and I left impressed and hopeful to return in the future. 

Boston and beyond- Boston Harbor and in the distance, the Atlantic Ocean! 

THE HOTEL

Alesia booked our room at the Marriott Vacation Club at Custom House. Wow is this a grand hotel! 

Our room on the 23rd floor is a villa. It has huge windows overlooking the harbor and Logan Airport on one side, and the city skyline on the other. It also has a kitchen. 

Our villa, room 2302, is part of the clock tower just below the clock where you see windows. 

The Classical Revival tower, nearly 500 feet tall, was added in 1915 to top the massive Custom House built in 1847. 

This was Boston's tallest building for decades. Click here for more on this landmark's interesting history. 

Daniel Island Taphophile Talk

 

My “Tales of a Taphophile” presentation went well on May 21 to members of the Daniel Island Historical Society. The room was full in the parish hall of the Church of the Holy Spirit. What a great turnout! 

My spirits were high to finally take the stage (or the altar as it were) for this event set up maybe six months ago. 

The members were very attentive and many questions followed my approximately 40-minute PowerPoint titled “Tales of a Taphophile: From Magnolia Cemetery to the Churchyards of Charleston.”

The talk is based on these two books: 
"In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston's Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry." 

And "Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston." (both are available from Amazon). 

“Taphophile” as I have come to know from my talks is a word many people do not know. A taphophile is someone who is passionate about cemeteries, gravestones, funeral customs and rituals. 

Fellow taphophile, the Crypt Chick, gives her "Tombstone Tourist" story on her blog.

So, yes, I’m a taphophile! Nice photo taken by Alesia. My mother says I look "presidential" lol.

It was great having Alesia with me. She looked stunning in her new dress. 

I signed and sold a number of books too, and it was great meeting many kindred spirits who also appreciate history. 

Many thanks to Beth Bush who invited me to speak to her organization. Beth was out of the country so Lee Ann Bain, a top Charleston tour guide, helped coordinate things and also introduced me. 

My thanks also go to Angela Williams whom I met last summer (see my blog post here). She told me about the Daniel Island Historical Society (she was a speaker a few years ago) and suggested I contact the group. 

Alesia and I celebrated afterward at Macs, a fun sports bar on the island. 

I have more book events in June and July that I’m sure to post about. 🥂 

Silversun Pickups Perform in…Charleston!

 

Wednesday, May 1 was a much anticipated day this year. My SC State classes concluded the day before so the end of the school year is near with final exams and final grading left to wrap up another year teaching college and college students- something I take great pride in doing and being part of a faculty. 

This band is one of my top five of all time! See my post here. 

May 1 this year was doubly special because that was the date for us to go to a concert at Charleston Music Hall by a band we both love, Silversun Pickups. 

The show was announced…when? Back in January maybe. I bought tickets right away and the date was circled on my calendar, you know, one of those dates you think will never arrive! Felt that way anyway.  

New Bird on the Block: Gray Catbird

 

The thrill of Baltimore Orioles at my feeders is no more. They’ve flown north for the spring, to Canada, according to my birding friend Richard. 

But then a new visitor with a sweet tooth began to frequent the grape jelly tray. 

What a handsome species is the Gray catbird! 

The All About Birds website says Gray Catbirds are related to Mockingbirds and Thrashers, sharing their skill at mimicking other bird calls. The name Catbird comes from a call that sounds like a meow. I did hear that myself once when on my back porch. I read that this bird can also imitate the croak of a frog! 

Click here to hear the Gray Catbird kind of sounding like a cat.  (credit to the Cornell Lab)