S is for stele

She came all the way from Paris and now lays at rest in Oakland's Mt. View Cemetery.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Theme Day: ephemeral

A little known law of physics is that time speeds up the older you get.  This month's City Daily Photo theme has me reflecting on the shortness of life and the imperative to live it the best you can.  In the end, all things are ephemeral, even the universe itself.  It all depends on your metric.  Linked to City Daily Photo.  This photo was taken a year ago, before the cemetery, in a bow to the drought, turned off the sprinklers.  If you visited this spot today, you'd find the lawn is brown. Brown is the new green.

spring has sprung

Last year I showed you this pergola in Mt. View Cemetery.  This year I wanted to show you it's wonderful display of wisteria.  Wisteria is a favorite planting in the East Bay and seeing them in bloom is always a pleasure.

pond in the cemetery

Mountain View Cemetery has interesting nooks and crannies.  This pond (one of three) is used (I think) for the irrigation system at the cemetery.  While walking along the road near the pond I heard a rustling in the trees and out flew a gigantic heron.  It glided across the water, banked toward the trees and disappeared into the green.  I was so stunned I didn't think to raise my camera until it was out of sight.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Y is for "yonder"

From the shoreline or the hills, Oakland offers some pretty nice views.  In the middle distance you can see buildings in our downtown area.  Way out yonder on the right you can see downtown San Francisco.  Yep, it's that close.  The fog was in retreat, leaving surprisingly warm days and nights.  Linking to ABC Wednesday.

P is for pergola

Mt. View Cemetery has a wonderful old pergola on stone pillars near its entrance.  It supports an equally old wisteria vine that now entwines most of the pillars.  The flower display is incredible but I guess you'll have to take my word for it since I never remember to get a picture of it.  Sigh.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

tulip time

It's tulip time at Mt. View Cemetery.  An added bonus is that the cherry blossoms are also on view.

Theme Day: entry

...to eternity?  It's the first of the month, and members of City Daily Photo publish photos related to the month's theme.  This month it's "entry."  This photo was taken at Mt. View Cemetery.  To see other Theme Day photos click here.

winter wonderland

Every Christmas Mt. View Cemetery has a light display that draws visitors from all over.  This is one
small corner of the bounty of lights that turns the entry into a magical wonderland.

Don't forget, tomorrow is CDP's Theme Day with January's theme Best Photo of 2013.  Click here to see what CDP bloggers post.

late sun in the cemetery

Monuments galore dot Mt. View Cemetery.  This one glowed in the late afternoon sun.

Qingming

The annual Qingming Festival was observed at Mt. View Cemetery this week.  In Chinese culture it is the day of remembrance of the ancestors.  The Chinese government has made it an official holiday.  Similar to Day of the Dead traditions, graves are swept, ritual foods are offered, incense is burned and prayers said.

I'll be out of town for a few days and won't have access to a computer to leave comments.

end of the season

Strolling through Mt. View Cemetery last week, I spied a number of graves decorated with Christmas trees.  I was both surprised and touched by the gesture.  Families continue to miss those who have died and want to share, as best they can, this season with their loved ones.

holiday reflection

This is part of the annual holiday lights display at Mt. View Cemetery.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: autumn display

The weather reports keep saying rain, but so far not.  Today the sky is a little cloudier but the autumn leaves are still with us.  We're not exactly Vermont, but colors can be found if you know where to look.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Sara Lemmon

More California history found at Mt. View Cemetery.  Linked to Taphophile Tragics.

I am well, Mother

Louisa Kohler was only 5 years old when she died in 1854.  Her parents erected this monument on her grave showing her sleeping on a bed with her faithful dog at her side.  The side of her grave marker is engraved with the above line.  Linked to Taphophile Tragics.

Woodmen of the World

Woodmen of the World was a fraternal organization begun in Nebraska in 1890.  It sought to give financial help to its members primarily through insurance plans.

One of the perks of membership was a free grave marker in the form of a tree stump.  Several can be found in both Mountain View and St. Mary's cemeteries.

 

They typically include branch knots, ferns, a hatchet, and a dove of peace. 

The practice was discontinued sometime in the 1920s due to the expense involved.  The company continues to exist today as an insurance company in Omaha.

Linked to Taphophile Tragics hosted by Sydney Eye.

Ghirardelli at Mt. View Cemetery

Domingo Ghirardelli, the famed chocolatier, came to San Francisco during the Gold Rush years and made his fortune not from panning for gold, but by provisioning miners with cocoa and fruit brought from South America.  Years after his success he built this mausoleum in Mt. View Cemetery.  Angered that a priest did not give his granddaughter last rites, he and his sons stole into St. Mary's Cemetery next door and moved the bodies of family members to the mausoleum.  His final snub of the Church was to put a masonic symbol on the entry.  It is placed between the two wreaths on the lintel.  Read the delightful website Lives of the Dead by Michael Colbruno for a fuller biography of Ghirardelli.

Linking to Taphophile Tragics.

Fred Korematsu's final resting place

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland in 1919.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 was instituted which orchestrated the removal of all Japanese (including American citizens) to relocation camps in the Southwest deserts.  No due process hearings were held, no trials were held, and no distinction was made between loyal citizens and possible supporters of the Japanese Empire.  The property they left behind was either guarded by faithful friends or often stolen by unscrupulous neighbors.  Fred protested these actions and went into hiding as an act of resistance.  He eventually was caught and sent to Topaz, Utah.  The legality of the internment order was upheld by the United States Supreme Court.  He ultimately returned to Oakland to raise his family.

Korematsu's conviction was overturned in the 1980s after the disclosure of new evidence, challenging the necessity of the Japanese internment, which had been withheld from the courts by the U.S. government during the war.  These documents revealed that the military had lied to the Supreme Court, and that government lawyers had willingly made false arguments.  His adult children were shocked to learn of their father's activism and early legal battles as he never talked about it after the courts upheld his conviction of resisting the internment orders.

In 1998 Korematsu was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.  Later in life Korematsu reinvigorated his social activism and advocated for rule of law and the protection of immigrant rights, especially for Muslim citizens post 9/11.  Recently the Smithsonian announced the inclusion of Korematsu's portrait in the museum's collection.

Korematsu died in 2005 and is now buried in Mt. View Cemetery with a large granite rock marking his grave.  To me the granite represents the strength and endurance of his principles.  The flowers laid at the right side of his tombstone include a note of thanks from an admirer who was inspired by the history of Korematsu's civil rights struggles.  His life work is admired by area progressives, but he remains largely unknown to local citizens.

Linking to Taphophile Tragics.

Taphophile Tragics: shh!

Walking around Mt. View the other day, I spotted this grave marker.  I was attracted by the hearts and musical notes which I haven't seen anywhere else.  Then I noticed Eleanor's heart.  She must have made it very clear that she did NOT want her birth year made public.  The way it was handled is like a wink and a laugh from the grave.  I bet she was a lot of fun at a party.  I found no information on either her or her husband.  For more cemetery wanderings, visit Taphophile Tragics.