Saturday, July 31, 2010

Monumental Stroll


In my many years of visiting Buffalo, I have frequently driven past Forest Lawn Cemetery and admired it from afar. While I know Clare has also noticed it before, on this visit she took a keen interest. Perhaps it's spending so much time with her history buff grandparents, possibly it's due to all of the American Girl books she's been reading, or maybe she's just in an inquisitive state of mind these days. Whatever the cause, when Donna proposed that the two of them make a morning of exploring the cemetery, she eagerly accepted. (It was extra special that this would be an adventure for just the two of them.)

Forest Lawn is among the oldest and largest Victorian burial grounds in the country, so there was quite a bit to see. From the sounds of it, they had a terrific time. Donna shared with me this amusing anecdote: Whenever Clare would leave a monument, she would reverently say, with sweeping arms, "Rest in peace." Occasionally she would even leave a dandelion behind.

Donna also had the good idea of making rubbings from the faces of some of the gravestones, which Clare proudly produced for me upon their return. I thoroughly enjoyed my alone time this morning (Danny was off on an adventure with Grandpa to Fort Erie: Guns! Cannons!), but I'll admit to being a tad envious of this expedition and might just have to add it to my own agenda one of these days.

No comments: