Sunday 2 September 2018

Photos of Ghosts


Over the years I have visited hundreds of pioneer cemeteries in Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Each one has its own allure but, in a general way, I find them all quiet and comforting places . . . places to celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us.

I also enjoy seeing the vast array of headstone designs that have been raised in remembrance of a loved one and seldom do I see an exact duplicate design within the same cemetery.  Everything from a homemade wooden cross to a hand-painted field stone, from a tiny marble headstone to an elaborate laser-etched granite marker . . . I like them all.

Only occasionally do I see a headstone bearing a ceramic photograph, that is, until I visited Saints Peter & Paul Romanian Orthodox Cemetery near Flintoft, Saskatchewan. There were a few dozen of these fuzzy, ghost-like images mounted on as many uniquely fashioned grave markers throughout the cemetery. The photos add another dimension to the headstones giving each one a personal touch. I like to see them as "photos of ghosts."

These are people like everyone has known.








- Michael Truman

4 comments:

  1. I don't think I'd ever heard of ceramic photograph before.

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  2. I've seen a few too but they are comparatively rare, I find. They do add a whole new dimension to headstones though.

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  3. Interesting! I can't recall seeing any of these myself but I usually look from afar. I did visit a neat cemetery a few days ago that you would like Michael...

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    1. Now Jenn, you're not going to see anything from "afar". Venture in and enjoy. I know this is a late reply but, tell me more about the cemetery you visited.

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