N'awlins April 2005

New Orleans has a long standing reputation for it's mysterious religions, cults and outre personalities. Many many MANY books about the living dead are set in New Orleans and for good reason. It's history is packed with bizarre tales, rituals, and people---the dead among the most famous.

I have been to NoLa quite a few times and have yet to scratch the surface of its amazing cemeteries. Easy Rider made this particular cemetery very famous as well as the local permanent resident Marie Laveau.

Similar to Paris, NoLa cemeteries are used like parks and often contain benches and tables where families visit and picnic. Visitors leave everything from bottles of wine to beads, shells and coins for the dead. Flowers wilt too fast and visitors know that the Spirits here would prefer a drink or beads anyway!

Vandalism and graffiti is tolerated and the decay of the long lost tombs among the new expensive crypts just adds to the atmosphere and is an obvious metaphor of the city.

Of course Katrina made fascination with the local dead a bit---inappropriate. However I had the pleasure of being in NoLa a few months before the disaster which is when I took these shots. I returned there a year later but was so saddened by what I saw I didn't take a single picture. It just didn't seem right after what happened. Long live the spirit and Spirits of New Orleans...

(Grave robbers often crack open the tops of the crypts seeking lord-only-knows-what, therefore you can see into some of the crypts. Thankfully it's usually just rubble or small tokens left by visitors that you can see inside. However even life creeps in some of the spaces.)

Howington Cemetery Nicholson GA 2010

I spent a lot of time in this cemetery when I was a kid. It may be the reason why I am so fascinated with cemeteries today. My Grandmother and Aunt would take me on their visits to put out flowers and I was allowed to roam around but not allowed to walk over anyone's grave or be loud and disruptive. I would walk through the rows and ask my grandmother if she knew the deceased. Sometimes she did and would tell me about them (or she may have made it up for all I know). I learned that even though they were no longer living, every one of these plots have a story beyond what was written in stone.

 Although this cemetery doesn't have any really unique or interesting stones, famous tombs or fascinating history it does have some personal history...including my great grandparents (below)...

Paris 2003

My first trip to Paris was not going to be complete without visiting a few of the cemeteries (which are hard to avoid). Much like New Orleans, cemeteries in Paris are social sites. People take their lunch there, lovers canoodle on benches and pooches are welcome off leash.

A totally different atmosphere than the catacombs these cemeteries tucked behind high walls and wrought iron gates feel more parks for the living than plots for the dead.

I hope to some day have many more photos of Paris' famous cemeteries and permanent residents...one day...

Even Dita gets to know the Permanent Residents of Paris at the tomb of Victor Noir.