Tika & Tombstones

Is it a good idea or not-so-good idea to craft your own tombstone? Think it depends on how long you want that memorial to last. This marker is for Calvin Chester Potter, 1909-1968, who rests in the Ocean View Cemetery on the west side of Port Angeles, Washington. I spotted this flat marker when walking in this beautiful ocean-side cemetery while visiting family.

The cemetery custodian explained to me that in the 50s to 70s it was common for folks to choose to make their own cement marker and stamps were used to indent the letters. This gravesite is obviously visited by family for somebody painted the letters with blue paint. Otherwise the words would have been pretty much unreadable.

My opinion: I think it's comforting and economical to make your own (or a loved one's) tombstone. But I also think they rarely last as long as commercial ones. This opinion is re-enforced by walking cemeteries and looking at the ones which have weathered unreadable. I recognize that some knowingly chose this option. But I fear that for too many it just happens. 

My point is this: Decide how long you want the marker to be readable and choose accordingly. 

Tika knows that she will rest in the pet resting place on our own property marked with a large black basalt rock. Tiz fitting for her.

Tika & Twilight & Forks

Tika did not accompany me to Port Angeles last weekend where I attended the annual conference of the Washington State Genealogical Society. It was a double-whammy visit for me as my son and family live there. After the conference we drove out to Forks, Washington........... ring a bell? That's where the Twilight stories are based, although there is little actually in the town that really appeared in the movies. But knowing vampires and wolves could be abounding, I left Tika safely home!  We went through the Quileute Reservation to get to the beaches (our destination) and I took these photos to show Tika why she was left safely at home..... doesn't this just look like vampire and/or wolf territory???

The beaches.... Rialto, First, Second and Third Beach....... are all fantastic even on a typical drizzly, wet, cold, rainy Forks day.  (You know the story; that's why the Cullens settled in Forks....vampires do not like the sun.) Yes, Tika would have loved to run on this beach but the misty dark woods were just too close.

One last note, if you were to Google vampire genealogy you would be amazed, astonished and flabbergasted at the vampire family trees posted online.............. "a list of 2615 known vampires." Scary.