Clear Skies Today!

After moaning about the smokey air yesterday, the winds came last night and blew the smoke away, and I was out the door walking as soon as I could this morning!

This is a panoramic view from the vantage point of the old pioneer cemetery in my town. Since it's an historic Gold Rush town, the cemetery has been maintained and is quite interesting.

I walked there today because I wanted to avoid the star thistles and burrs I'd get on my normal route; and it's a good stiff incline, so good exercise.

It's quite fascinating to see how society was divided in the 1850s, and that is clearly evident in how the graves were set out. There is a section for the Catholics and the Jews (on the outer fringes - they were denominations that weren't very popular), then the Protestant folks.


There is a "potter's field" section for the poor and disenfranchised who couldn't pay for a proper burial. This included a few Indians, Chinese laborers who worked on the gold diggings, thieves, etc. And finally, the choicest sections seem to be for the Masons and the Odd Fellows, whoever they were.

It's also interesting to see how many immigrants are buried here. These are just two out of many.

One thing about it, it's QUIET there!