All Saints' Day & Day of the Dead

Saturday afternoon I drove into Fairview Cemetery in the town where I live
because I have been thinking about an important day in many cultures.
All Saints' Day is celebrated around the world on November 1 and
All Souls' Day or Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)
on November 2.

On this day family members go to the grave sites of their loved ones,
place decorations and flowers on the graves,
and clean the area to show love and respect for the departed.

So as I drove through this cemetery
I thought of those who may come to visit tomorrow.

Many of the graves have interesting
and very personal items adorning the area.

There are benches where visitors can sit and spend time
with their family or friend.

This water pump is from many years ago
and I wondered if it still worked.

The Texas flag flies over Fairview Cemetery.

Below is a recent autumn decoration.

These decorations were intriguing.
It is such a sentimental gesture
and one I found quite touching.

Boots with the Texas and U. S. flags are at this grave.

This guitar memorial is quite unique.

Below are a couple of photographs
from the Harrold Cemetery established in 1890.
This cemetery is in Harrold, Texas near where
the G-man grew up in wide open spaces.

This photograph was from the Harrold Cemetery.
The motocycle, the dogs, and the flag indicate this person's loves.

Historic Residential Area of Bastrop... and a few thoughts

Continued from yesterday's Fourth of July walk. Let's go on a little stroll around the more historic area of Bastrop, Texas. As you can see the town folk are ready for the Fourth of July celebrations. Oh yes, there will be a pet parade today for the opening of the new Bark Park. Gertie & I are going to pass on this because it takes place mid-day and may be too hot for two old girls like us.

After we left the downtown area the morning of the Fourth, we went to see how the residences were decorated. We happened upon a yard sale with lots of knickknacks, old furniture, posters etc. for sale. Of course we passed ~ at this stage I need to be getting rid of things and not adding to my stash!

As we walked along looking at the pretty houses, speaking to people, enjoying the morning, I thought about how lucky we are to live in a free society. We as a society have come a long way since my childhood... that is not to say we have reached the pinnacle, but we have advanced in what we are supposed to be as humans.

A good deal of this advancement is due to our government and our leaders. When I was in my late teens segregation ended, the Voter Rights Act was passed, in the 1970s people became more adjusted to sexual preferences of individuals, more people were able to receive a college education, and women began to have a larger roll in government and business.

Some people want government out of our lives, but I can't help but think if we had not had government insistence that we behave more like human beings then we may still be in the darker days. There is much more to do, but if our children have been taught well the progress will continue.

I feel lucky to live in a society where the government does try to do the right thing. After all the government is of the people; it is a reflection of us. Thankfully there are more caring, deeper and long-term thinking people that elect visionaries to guide us.

Beautiful home & garden.

Old fashioned mailboxes and a bicycle for decoration.

More old houses that are inviting from the outside.

Below are items from the yard sale.
Cute old toys, knickknacks, lighting fixtures, posters were for sale.

Back to the stately homes. Some have flags hanging from posts. Happy birthday, America.

The corner grocery. Tracy's Drive-In Grocery.

The last of the houses that we shall be viewing today.

Handmade rocking horse complete with mop for tail!
It looks more like a rocking dog, but how cute & original.

This house is sporting the American and Texas flags.

Porch swings above & below.
Ahhh, peace & quiet on a summer morning or evening.

Back home. The sun is shining brightly with blue sky above the pine trees.
We need flags ( U. S. & Texas) for our house... next year perhaps.