Sunday, September 11, 2022

Cradle Graves at Mt. Hope Cemetery

According to The Friends of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York, website , 

"A cradle grave consists of a gravestone, a footstone, and two low stone walls connecting them, creating a rectangle designed to hold plantings to memorialize the person buried below. It resembles a bed, with a headboard and footboard, and flowers planted resemble a lovely blanket of color and texture.

 "Cradle graves can be for people of any age, although many are for children.

"Cradle Graves were popular in the Victorian era. At Mount Hope we have cradle graves built as early as the 1840’s, and as recent in the 1930’s. Most of our cradle graves were erected by people of German descent, our largest immigrant group, who brought this custom from their country of birth.

"Originally most of these gardens would have been planted and maintained by the family of the deceased, but over the last several decades they have been abandoned as families moved away."                            https://fomh.org/cemetery/cradle-graves/ 






 The cradle graves project at the cemetery started in 2019 and has grown each year. Graves are tended to by volunteers who plant, water, weed, and often learn about the individual buried there.  Thanks to the volunteers' efforts and dedication, the number of tended cradle graves have grown, filled with colorful flowers bringing joy and perhaps some peace to visitors at the cemetery. 



Two of the most notable graves at this city's cemetery are Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony.

       
             
Frederick Douglass statue was created by Olivia Kim in memory of his 200th birthday. 
Douglass's grave buried in snow. 



Susan B. Anthony's tombstone in Mt. Hope Cemetery.




 Founded in 1838, Mt. Hope is the first municipal cemetery in the United States. 

According to the Friends of Mount Hope website: 
"Situated on 196 acres (79 ha) of land adjacent to the University of Rochester 
on Mount Hope Avenue, the cemetery is the permanent resting place of 
over 350,000 people."

The city's cemetery is a wonderful place for a quiet walk, dogs required to be on leash.


This section is dedicated to soldiers who fought in the Civil War. 

                                                        A section is dedicated to firemen.


                         The cemetery is open throughout the year, but please check its website. 







Thursday, December 3, 2020

Rochester Public Market 2021 Calendar

 

The 2021 Rochester Public Market reflects life today during the Covid-19 Pandemic and what life was like before. The market has been opened throughout and masks are required by shoppers and of course, the farmers and vendors


Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Black Lives Memorial, Rochester, New York - October 9, 2020

A peaceful memorial service  was held in Rochester to  pray, mourn, and honor the lives of "Black and Latino Deaths at the Hands of Police" by "Saying Their Names." 

Speakers read each person's name, followed by a minute of silence:

Saying their Names: Black and Latino Deaths at the Hands of Police

2012 Trayvon Martin, 17

2013 Andy Lopez

2014 Alejandro Nieto, 28

        Eric Garner, 43

        Michael Brown, 18

        Laquan McDonald, 17

        Akai Gurley, 28

       Tamir Rice, 12

2015  Walter Scott, 61

         Freddie Gray, 25

        Sandra Bland, 28

       Jeremy McDole, 28

       Bettie Jones, 55

2016  Philando Castille, 32

         Alton Sterling, 37

        Terrence Crutcher, 40

2017   Jordan Edwards, 15

          Charleena Lyles, 30

          Kameron Prescott, 6

2018   Stephen Clark, 22

          Jemel Roberson, 26

         Botham Jean, 28

2019   Elijah McClain, 23

           Atatiana Jefferson, 28

          Michael Dean, 28

2020  Breonna Taylor, 26

          Daniel Prude, 41

         George Flood, 46

         Sean Monterrosa, 22

         Andres Guardado, 18

        Jacob Blake, 29


 


Monday, October 26, 2020

Thanks, Sierra Club

Many thanks to the Sierra Club here in Rochester, New York, for "giving away" hundreds of trees for us to plant for the future. 

The trees came with planting instructions, stakes and sleeves so even novice gardeners could be assured of success. 

May our hands be dirty in hopes for a healthier and more nourished earth. 

Masks worn by all during this global Covid-19 pandemic. 






 

Saturday, September 5, 2020

The Memorial for Truth and Justice

The Memorial for Truth and Justice

August is hot, especially in Alabama during hurricane season. It is not high tourist season in Montgomery. Yet we had driven more than a thousand miles from upstate New York to visit a recently opened site that documents the lynchings of over four thousand men, women and children—The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

We took that trip in 2018. According to the website, "The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened to the public on April 26, 2018, is the nation's first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burned with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence."   https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial

As our nation grapples with the effects of the recent killings of blacks, with the racial polarization of whites and blacks, with the polarization of our country's political parties, this memorial is an important touchstone for all of us regardless of race, religion, political party or gender.  

Bryan Stevenson, the motivating force behind the memorial, wrote. “The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was conceived with the hope of creating a sober, meaningful site where people can gather and reflect on America’s history of racial inequality. …The national memorial is a sacred space for truth-telling and reflection about racial terror in America and its legacy. …Our nation’s history of racial injustice casts a shadow across the American landscape. This shadow cannot be lifted until we shine the light of truth on the destructive violence that shaped our nation, traumatized people of color, and compromised our commitment to the rule of law and equal justice.”

 Thank you, Bryan Stevenson.


Friday, April 3, 2020

Rochester, New York, is in lock-down like many other cities due to the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants are one of the hardest hit businesses. Here are how some are responding on Park and Monroe Avenue in Rochester. 

Spring 2020

Rochester is blessed with many parks. These collage is from my recent visit to Highland Park, But other parks include Durand Eastman, Highland, Cobbs Hill, Ellwanger and Barry, Genesee Valley, Ellison, Tryon, Pinnacle, Lucien Moran, Corbetts Glen, Mendon Ponds. Here s a link to the ones in Rochseter, https://daytrippingroc.com/city-of-rochester-parks/