Tree Guardian Over the City of the Quiet Dead

We've had some marvelous misty mornings, lately. And they make me want to go and drive everywhere and see everything. The mist is enchanting; it makes the places that we know seem magical and strange.

I'd had a very people-y day on Tuesday, and so it was refreshing to me to walk the little cemetery in the quiet of the morning. All alone; nobody around, just me and my camera and my umbrella, as the mist turned into a light rain.

I straightened a flag or two here and there; adjusted a grave ornament; tried to set a favorite little statue that had slid down back onto its base. We like to keep a tidy cemetery, here.

I took a lot of pictures and I know this may sound strange but I loved them all, and it was hard to select just one or two. Above is my first pick: a favorite tree, its craggy branches stretching outward like an umbrella over the stones; two more stones clutched to its heart, as though to keep them safe.

There is another photo in the extras, a close-up of the graves of Christianna and Jacob Pottsgrove, both of whom died in the 1800s. I liked the way the shot turned out: the two stones in front, and behind them, the city of the quiet dead.

Here's a song to go with these shots: Tim McGraw, Live Like You Were Dying.