From my archives: St. Michael's Cemetery

    Recently I had been going through some old photo albums and found a set of pictures I had taken at St. Michael's Cemetery in Springfield, MA in 1998. These are all analog photos, quite awhile before I got my first digital camera in 2003 or so. I can't remember what kind of camera I used for these, but I know it must have been some cheapo point & shoot, maybe even one of those disposable cameras. Wow, it's so weird to think about using those now, it seems so archaic. 

    I'm glad I was able to salvage these. One autumn years ago when I still lived in CT, our basement flooded about a foot deep and a lot of our things got damaged. Many of my old photo albums got wet, but I saved as many as I could. 

    As you can see, quite a few took considerable water damage, but in this case, I think they add to the aesthetic of these grainy old photos.

    My memories of this day are a bit skewed. I can't remember what season it was, although it must have been close to summer. I didn't write a date on these other than the year. 

    Also, it took me awhile to figure out where the location was, all I had written was the name of the cemetery, but there are a few St. Michael's cemeteries throughout the New England area. I know I have photos from other cemeteries as well, and I got these memories mixed up from another trip to another cemetery somewhere near the CT/RI coast. It's weird to get older and have your memories kinda start to blend together.

Finally, I figured out this is the one in Springfield, MA thanks to the Find-A-Grave website. I looked up one of the names on these graves and it brought me here.

    I really miss walking through New England cemeteries, honestly. It's just not quite the same vibe here in the Pacific Northwest. The graves here are nowhere near as old as oldest ones in New England.

    Back in CT, there were at least two cemeteries within walking distance of my home, and I'd sometimes visit them during my usual walking routines. So much is different here, and I get especially homesick this time of year. Hopefully, next year I can visit home again.

(all photos by Petrichor & Pumpkins)