Fences and Finials

I love old cemeteries and Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg is one of my favorites. Every time I visit it, I see it from a different perspective and find new and interesting (to me, at least) things to take pictures of.

I went to Cedar Hill recently and photographed some of the beautiful old ornate iron fences that surround some of the older family plots located in the cemetery. Most of them are in dire need of restoration, but even in their tumbled-down state, with broken and missing pieces, they are truly works of art. Created by artisans over a hundred years ago, they still retain a beauty all their own which is only enhanced by the passage of time and elements of Nature.

You can click on the images to enlarge them if you'd like to get a closer look at the amazing details.

I've never seen a fence like the one shown below, and would love to know the signficance of the eye, arrows, and hourglass designs. Notice the bottom piece that goes into the ground. [Follow-up: I received a comment from my friend, Marty Kittrell, who said he believes the eye and hourglass are Masonic symbols. If you haven't met Marty through his blog, you should treat yourself by visiting him soon. His photography is truly awesome.]

I love this little gate, with its delicate scroll design ...

One thing I found interesting was that depending upon the direction of exposure, one length of a fence might be rusty red, while another side was tinged with green moss or lichen.

As I walked among the fences, I noticed an abundance of robins around me and was able to capture this one with my zoom lens as he perched on a headstone.

I didn't know birds could frown, but this one surely looks like he is. I guess I "ruffled his feathers" ...

I also caught this buzzard soaring overhead. Such an ugly bird on the side of a road, but just look at this one's wings spread in full flight ...

I loved this little lamb at rest behind one of the fences.

And this Madonna-like statue, especially her beautiful face.

I had my new macro lens with me, and before I left the cemetery, I captured a couple of close-ups of a flowering quince plant in bloom.

I hope you enjoyed my photo journal of my visit to Cedar Hill as much as I enjoyed being there. It's a beautiful and peaceful place and, in a way, makes me feel as if I have spent some time visiting with God. The words to the old hymn, "In the Garden," come to mind:

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.