Graveyard.... Adventure?

Hello all... It's been awhile since I've posted, but now it's time to do some reflecting on the monument analysis trip and work so far. First off, I'd like to say that I am infinitely grateful for being a part of a kind, competent and entertaining group; it made our cold visit to the graveyard a little more bearable :)

For our monument analysis, our group chose St. Luke's graveyard; a small and old graveyard which now only has room for cremation burials. Upon reaching the graveyard, we immediately questioned the protocol. "What do we do? Should we ask to be here and especially do we ask to take photos? What if we get in trouble?" We decided to go ahead and deal with challenges as they arose. We began by wandering through the rows to get a general idea of the landscape and feel of the area. Immediately we noticed date ranges, grave types, and associated patterns. From these observations, we decided to look specifically at grave markers which were unfinished. This means that the markers generally had room left for a spouse or other family member who hadn't died yet, and thus hadn't been inscribed onto the marker (or their death date hadn't). Though I did my best to focus on the task at hand, there was an uncomfortable feeling looming over the entire experience. Personally, I have no religious beliefs which effect my presence there, but my concern came from those who do. What if someone came and found what we were doing disrespectful? I kept thinking to myself, "Thank god it isn't sunday" (Which, given my previous statement is purely an expression).

While filling out our monument sheets, I frequently made faces as if I was Indiana Jones surrounded by snakes and unable to discern where to step. Like this:

and questioned... "What is the protocol here?". I found myself unsure of where to step, what to touch, where to kneel, and what to think. There was an uninvited internal struggle which demanded attention and thought towards answering these questions and contemplating my personal judgements and preconceptions upon entering the graveyard. This struggle came to its peak when a couple arrived to place flowers at a relatively recent cremation grave (late 2012) in the yard. Though we weren't near that side at the time, it put the monument analysis sheet in my hand into perspective, and honestly, I found it hard to continue.

A few noteworthy moments from the experience:

-Pete found the "first white baby to be born in Victoria"'s grave

-I drew a great cat (from a monument)

-Bonding time with the group over where to step

-An older man wandering the graveyard asked us what we were doing and upon answering he told us he too was being scholarly and looking for interesting things growing amongst the graves

-I literally found a bone (I think it may have been deer)

All in all, visiting St. Luke's for the monument analysis was an interesting experience to say the least. Although the focus was meant to be towards the monuments themselves, I think I learned more about myself and my own issues towards death in this society, and how better to deal with the discomfort and awkwardness of lurking in a cemetery. Turns out the key to surviving any situation is humour.