CONGRESSIONAL CEMETERY

It was a rare day in Washington, D.C. The fall air was cool and crisp, the sky was a clear, deep shade of blue, and the rumble and static of the voices from Capitol Hill was muted and the desire to commune with nature and enjoy an afternoon of tranquility seized my very soul. Where to go? Why, the cemetery beckoned, of course, and having neglected the famous gentle hills of Congressional Cemetery, in the shadow of the ever popular D.C. Jail, we set off for a stroll through the tombstones of the famous and powerful. Unlike nearby Oak Hill or Rock Creek cemeteries, Congressional is sadly lacking in unique or interesting funerary art or style. These are, after all, politicians, and this is one of the few places in Washington where the pol’s are silent, but so much like their living counterparts, they still do nothing. Which came first? A fitting tribute to the concept of term limits, it appears that many past Congressmen lived short lives, 35-45 seems about average in many cases, so perhaps our contemporary politicians could take a cue from their forefathers!

No humility here


Muted and classic architecture of death

Congress is in recess- The remains of Congressmen past

A beautiful fall day in Washington – an opportunity for reflection


The other side of America- A stunning totem pole in Washington’s Congressional Cemetery


We can only pray that our elected officials will finally grow up, act like adults, and try to work for the betterment of the country

CITIES OF THE DEAD REVISITED

A dark, pervasive gloom hung round my soul, like an evil wind blowing east out of the dry and dusty prairie. No amount of ukulele music could lift this oppressive veil of shadows, and I knew of only one remedy, one mystical elixir powerful enough to dispel this blanket of misery. As the dark and heavy clouds rolled into the city, I set forth to the one place capable of bringing the sun into my otherwise dead and miserable soul… the local cemetery! Yahoo! Tombstones! Crypts! Mausoleums! No, honestly, it is always fun to see the art and artifice surrounding our treatment of the dear departed, and generally a still and peaceful oasis for quiet contemplation and reflection. Today I was concentrating on small carving details and reliefs, and the minute beauty to be found surrounding the eternal monuments to grief. Here are but a few of the many bits of funerary art I discovered on my brief field trip before the rains sent me seeking a drier and warmer embrace.

CITIES OF THE DEAD

“My relationship with death remains the same- I’m strongly against it.” Woody Allen
While I would have to agree with Woody on this sentiment, I will also have to confess a longstanding affection for cemeteries and funerary art and architecture. I find these “Cities of the Dead” to be quiet, calm and ultimately fascinating places to spend a day in peaceful contemplation and the architecture, art and poetry found along their winding paths offers a window on the culture, styles and attitudes of a bygone time.
From the mysteries of Stonehenge to the grandeur of the Pyramids to the seemingly endless acres of white crosses in Normandy, civilizations have marked the passage of human life with physical reminders, both great and small. Be it a rough wooden tablet, or an ornate mausoleum
of the finest white marble, it proclaims to the living world that a living soul once walked this earth- and was loved.
Here in Washington, D.C. we have many reminders of our national legacy of political power and commercial and creative contribution. Arlington National Cemetery, final resting place to our military’s bravest heroes, Congressional Cemetery, home to many famous but also many forgotten politicians, or Oak Hill and Rock Creek Cemeteries -graced with beautiful landscaping and numerous works of compelling and poignant works of memorial art by masters such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
In death, as in life, styles and attitudes are constantly in a state of change and revision. When traveling, I always make it a point to try and save a few minutes to visit the most interesting cemetery I can find in a given city or town. It is surprising to see the differences regionally and by era in the style, materials and sentiments expressed toward the dearly departed. There are definite trends in headstones and crypts every 20-40 years just as in clothing and hairstyles.
Sadly the look these days is away from Egyptian revival and closer to a stylistic equivalent to reality TV. Just think of someone’s ancestor’s trying to make sense of their great grandmother’s “Precious Moments” tombstone! OMG! OMG! What are we coming to?
Thank heaven we can still count on Zombies to take a stand for some degree of propriety and decorum in Angelic Acres. Just remember, no running! No running! Keep your pace to a shuffle.

They’re coming to get you, Barbara!