After lunch in the garden we drove over to Forest Home Cemetery, where my parents are buried. We brought the weed whacker, but the cemetery is very well cared for and we didn't need to do much to neaten the headstones.
I love this old cemetery, it has some lovely stones, concrete faux bois headstones and benches, and small mausoleums with stained glass windows. It used to be quite busy on weekends, with families visiting and picnicking, but Sunday was pretty quiet. Lots of geese, few people.
We've always just driven past this Celtic cross. The cemetery is strongly German, so it was a bit of a surprise to me the first time I realized what it was.
As a child my family visited every year (my grandparents and great-grand parents are here, too). I remember always liking it, but didn't pay much attention to the stones. There were big angels, a cool cannon, and benches here and there. but mostly it was a grown-up thing and I didn't become interested in it-and really see what all was there-until I was an adult.
I think this cross and the stones are Art Nouveau, probably Celtic revival, from the turn of the previous century. There were two flat stones with it (and a lovely bench with Celtic knotwork on the legs).The family name is Richardson. The other stone has a companion verse and is from five years earlier. This would make a great rubbing and a lovely embroidery.
