Monday Mural: masks

Found on San Pablo Avenue in West Oakland.  Too ambiguous for me but there's a definite aura of sadness.

Welcome to Monday Mural.  If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you; just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to your mural finds posted this week.  Google+ users, please configure your post so we all can leave a comment.  Thanks.

“ Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”  Rev. John Watson.

Taphophile Tragics: humble grave marker

Across the road from Lucrezia, is another child's grave with a much humbler marker.  This child lived only 8 months.  It looks as if his parents could not afford a stone marker so made their own.  The punched metal plate gives his name and date.  It is set in a wooden frame that forms a cross and is attached to a metal pipe that is driven into the ground.  The whole thing, almost 100 years old, is fragile and falling apart.   This one is so sad on so many levels that I can barely look at it.  For other cemetery wanderings, visit Taphophile Tragics.

I'll be away for a week, and will do my best to leave a comment here and there.

Taphophile Tragics: Lucrezia

So many graves at St. Mary's Cemetery are of Italian and Portuguese immigrants.  This one is by Our Darling, posted two weeks ago.  Little Lucrezia died shortly after her 1st birthday.  To my surprise, there is a portrait plaque on her headstone.  I've never seen one for a child this young.

One glance and you can tell she was a much loved and pampered child.  Those little pom poms on her cap are too darling for words.  Seeing her face, and knowing the love her parents must have felt for her, intensified my sense of sadness at her early death. She looks so healthy; what could happen to have death claim her so early?

For more cemetery wanderings, visit Julie's Taphophile Tragics.

Taphophile Tragics: our darling

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery has a section with lots of children's graves.  It is hard to fathom the overwhelming grief a parent must feel at the loss of a child.  This funeral statue is so individual looking, I'm assuming it is based on a photo.  No signature was found.  There's something out of proportion about this figure and her face looks more like an adult than a child.  Although a vintage piece, someone remembers her and has placed a toy at her feet.

For more cemetery wanderings, visit Julie's Taphophile Tragics.

Skywatch Friday: Chapel of Memories

Here's a longer shot of the Chapel of Memories featured in Tuesday's post.  It's been cloudy in the morning and late afternoon, but rarely any rain.  Our annual average to date is usually 13 inches; so far all we've had is 5.  We all like the fair weather, but there's also an undercurrent of fear of another drought.  For more sky shots and weather comments, visit Skywatch Friday.

Chapel of Memories

Inspired by last week's post by Gene of Our Oakland, I decided to visit The Chapel of Memories for the first time.  Not exactly difficult, since I live in the neighborhood.  This facility is now owned by the Chapel of the Chimes which is a couple of blocks away.  The columbarium appears to be from the same period and is of a similar style.  This is the first urn you see when you enter these doors:

The various rooms have names like Prayer, Remembrance, Psalm, and Rest and are lined in glass fronted niches.

The stained glass ceilings are a lovely touch and allow in natural light.  My favorite room had Della Robbia type faience rondelles.

 Like the Chapel of Chimes, the Chapel of Memories has multiple levels and usually a place to sit and think a while.

For more cemetery wanderings visit Julie's fascinating meme Taphophile Tragics.

Home of Peace Cemetery

One of the best things about having a CDP blog is that you learn more about your own town.   Julie's new meme Taphophile Tragics prompted me to look for more Oakland cemeteries.  Thus I found Home of Peace Cemetery in East Oakland on Fairfax Avenue off High Street.  It is located in a residential neighborhood and is a dedicated Jewish cemetery.  Although I worked in East Oakland for many years, I had never heard of it. 

Unlike the much larger Mt. View Cemetery, the headstones here are of modest size, the landscaping is spare, and there are no grandiose tombs or family crypts.  But it is an active cemetery with recent interments.  Most of the headstones are in English, some are in Hebrew, and a few are in Russian. 

   The earliest grave marker I found was from 1905.  This is the most humble grave marker I saw and thought it very touching.  I somehow think this was according to Mr. Posner's wishes.

You can see there is still room for more burials.  The steepness of the site gives the visitor a view of the Bay.  

Thank you, Julie for nudging me to look harder in my own community.  For more views and commentary on cemeteries from around the world, visit Taphophile Tragics.

chapel of the chimes

The Chapel of the Chimes is situated directly outside the gates of Mt. View Cemetery.  It was designed by Julia Morgan who is most well-known as the architect of Hearst Castle in San Simeon.  Later Aaron Green, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, made sympathetic additions to the Morgan building.  This building is primarily a columbarium but also offers other modes of "end of life services."  The building is kind of a warren filled with stairwells, interior gardens, fountains, and stained glass ceilings.  Besides funeral services, monthly Jazz concerts and various literary events also occur here.

Did you know that in the funeral business the most expensive niches are those at eye level?  And the least expensive are those near the floor and ceiling?  Here's a tip I was given:  Never buy the cremation urn before you buy the niche, otherwise it may not fit.  Good to know.  For more cemetery musings from around the world, visit Taphophile Tragics, a new meme from Sydney Eye.