Louise

Having set out to volunteer at The Museum of Art and History with an interest in the art, I was slightly sidetracked into their project to maintain Evergreen Cemetery in Santa Cruz. It's the original cemetery in the city and is a shady, slightly overgrown, leafy oasis on the side of a small hill overlooking some industrial units and Highway 1.

I spent a couple of hours pulling ivy and vinca, but also wandered around in the quiet.

If asked, I'd always say I'm not that interested in history. But I am interested in peoples' stories (I know...I see that most of the word 'history' is actually 'story').

This little gravestone stopped me. There are no other gravestones in the plot to give clues about her family. And a search online doesn't find any other Lovelesses in the cemetery. But clearly Louise wasn't actually loveless - someone cared enough, and could afford to have this made; most of the very young children in family plots have tinier stones with only their initials on.

In fact, an online search brings up other photos of this stone. Whoever wanted Louise to be remembered in 1908 could never have imagined that little gravestone beaming around in the ether.