Today's all about the graves.
When you pull up to the Georgetown Alvarado Cemetery, a small, tidy cottage stands beside the wrought-iron gate. Immediately next to the road are multiple graves behind a small fence. A marble gravestone sits beside an original wooden cross. Some graves are fenced in, some have accompanying benches for loved ones to relax.
If you've never seen a mountain cemetery, this one fulfills the image. Brush, wildflowers, and aspens grow from the graves. This is no suburban mowed crab grass resting place. It's wild and beautiful, surrounded by the Rocky mountains and pine trees. I was even warned Moose like the area, though I was disappointed to not see any.
Some of the graves have been patched and repaired. Some gravestones rest on their sides. Moss of green and rust grows in the cracks. And there are even graves where the ground has cracked or sunken in.
While this is an active cemetery, with gravestones exhibiting years in the 2010s, the photos I'm sharing with you are of graves with years in the 1800s and early 1900s. There are recognizable names, including the Guanella family, Louis Dupuy and his wife, and a Clear Creek County sheriff, who also happened to be a WWII vet. I haven't shared photos of their graves, though I did photograph them.
I only had an hour to wander through the cemetery, so there were areas I missed, including some of the older ones. I hope to visit again in the fall, when the aspens have turned golden. Maybe I'll even get to see an elusive moose.
Link time. Bear in mind that I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting to a market.
Accepting Submissions:
Arsenika is seeking flash fiction and poetry. Up to 1000 words. Pays $60 for fiction, $30 for poetry. Deadline September 15.
Writers Resist is seeking poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, and other forms of writing that must express resistance. Up to 2500 words. Will pay $10 for the first 100 pieces accepted.
The Quill is seeking poetry, prose, and creative nonfiction in all genres. Up to 20,000 words, but under 10,000 is preferred. Pays up to $45, depending upon length.
Every Day Fiction is seeking flash fiction in all genres. Pays a token $3.
Islanded Quarterly is seeking poetry, prose, and photography about being islanded (see their website for a definition). All genres. 1500 to 5000 words. Pays between 15 and 45 pounds.
The Sunlight Press is seeking personal essays, fiction, and photography. Up to 2000 words. This is a paying market.
Blindspot is seeking fantasy and science fiction. Up to 10,000 words. Pays $.08/word.
Gathering Storm Magazine is seeking short fiction with any of the following themes: The only thing to fear is fear itself; never take candy from strangers; it's just a bunch of hocus pocus; and things that go bump in the night. Up to 2000 words. Pays $25 for short stories, $10 for poetry.
Ever wandered through a cemetery? What stuck out to you or struck you about it? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?
May you find your Muse.
15 comments:
It looks suitably desolate - some of the graves are almost swallowed by the long grass. You can find out so much about the history of a place from a graveyard like this.
Cool pics.
The last cemetery I visited wasn't as interesting as yours.
A wild cemetery definitely has a charm that the more neat ones lack, but I miss the color in your B&W photos. I must be a magpie. I like bright and colorful.
Sure many a different grave in the cemetery. Some sure do look like they haven't been touched in ages.
It's so interesting to me how untamed the grass, etc is for a "working" cemetery. I can totally see ghosts moving through the wildness. :)
You did a beautiful job setting the scene before we came to the pictures! The photos you took are excellent and the cemetery really has a wild look to it with the long grass. I always find it interesting to walk through graveyards. So much history. Thanks for sharing. :)
~Jess
I love walking through cemeteries, looking at old gravestones and imagining what the lives were like of the people who are buried there. Great photos :-)
Hi Shannon - it does look to be a wonderful cemetery - fascinating to see it with the prairie wild plants ... must have been just beautiful and serene to spend some time in ... with the backdrop of the mountains - lovely ... cheers Hilary
I love old cemetery's. The markers and epitaths are so much more meaningful. Today's graveyards are too concentric, everything so ordered and precise. Everything the same.
I'm glad so many have said they like walking through old cemeteries and seeing them. I do like photos of old graves, and U even enjoy taking those photos.
I used to live beside a cemetery. It had some very old parts from the early 1800s but it was in town and very well tended and also still active. I walked through hundreds of times and wondered about the stories of some of those long gone from the world.
I still hold my breath when I drive past cemeteries. It's not even out of superstition anymore. It just makes me pay attention to them. It's fascinating how we try to commemorate our loved ones.
EDF gave me several of my first sales! I love that place. They publish unusual and eclectic stories.
Awesome pictures! We both love Georgetown. If that graveyard doesn't stir up the creative juices, I don't know what will.
Old cemeteries evoke such a mix of emotions. Your pictures were really wonderful.
I love walking through cemeteries. They're fascinating and peaceful. (I grew up next to one, so they don't scare me at all!) Awesome pictures. And thank you for the links.
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