Lone Fir Named One of Top Ten Cemeteries In the World to Visit!

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NAMES LONE FIR 
ONE OF THE TOP 10 CEMETERIES IN THE WORLD TO VISIT! 

Really!  Here is a link to the article "http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/cemeteries/"  I consider myself fortunate to live so close to this special cemetery. Often, when I have to choose between taking a walk to Laurelhurst Park (which is very beautiful) or going to Lone Fir - I choose Lone Fir.  The park is full of people and all kinds of activity, which can be uplifting at times. At others, it is not what the soul is seeking. To clear my mind and to reflect on life, the peace and solitude of Lone Fir is perfect.

Every time I visit (and I've gone so many more times than the ones I've blogged about here) I find new things to surprise and interest me. For instance, this memorial for Golda Miller. In case you can't read the inscription it says "Folks in heaven don't do a thing. Walk streets of gold. Play harp and sing. I need a little house, flowers round the door. Children running in and out to bake some cookies for. Save your golden streets for those up above. Satisfy my simple tastes with lots of folks to love." Wow, how cool is that?  I can totally relate to her. What a wonderful tribute. I know I would have liked Golda.

Here is another unique memorial with a photograph of the person next to a large bear, which I assume was stuffed? I'm not sure, though, because when I zoom in on the photo it almost looks like he is next to a cage and perhaps this was a live bear? Obviously this was an important and cherished snapshot for it to be the one on his headstone. 

This beautiful headstone had a lot of thought and craftsmanship put into it. 

Beautifully detailed.

But there is no name of the person and I don't understand 

what the inscription means. Do you?

Here is another, with only the last name.  I searched the name 'Lundberg' and found that Lundberg is a surname of Swedish origin, meaning wooded hill or mountain grove.

Beautiful design...

 Nice enough to be art.

 Take a look at this very special one for Annie Robinson, 1862 - 1899.

I love the picket fence with the open gate, welcoming her to rest.

Many graves are now marked with headstones that have no identification. Age, illness or many other causes may have taken away the person whose bones lie here, but water, wind and dust are the culprits that have swept away the marking of their last place on Earth.

I find this one sad, since it doesn't even say her name. Surely this woman was more than just the wife to W. Holman, whoever he was. 

All of us will leave our earthly life at some time - that is certain. Some of us, like me, want to be cremated and have our ashes scattered, leaving nothing of our physical bodies, but returning to the elements. Dust to dust. For those that choose to be interred in a cemetery, maybe reading this blog will cause you to give some thought to your own headstone or memorial plaque, now knowing that others will look to it in the years to come, and wonder, who you were?

Thanks for taking this trip with me to Lone Fir in February, 2015. I look forward to the next.

Winter Wonderland at Lone Fir

Portland had a big winter storm and it snowed for days. I packed up my camera and walked in the falling snow and blowing wind to see how Lone Fir would look draped in winter white. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Many other people were there as well, walking around and enjoying this rare winter scene. For those who weren't fortunate enough to make it in person, I hope these photos will catch some of the magic of the snow and how it decorated the graves of the good people of Lone Fir.

"Angel of Prayer, create with affirming words that which you desire. Have faith that with intent your answers will manifest. The Angel of Prayer knows that all you need has already been given. Gratefully allow it to be so."  Although these words are not inscribed beneath this angel, I felt like she had something to say and Googled the words 'prayer angel.' Many were religious, but this one seemed nice to me and could apply to all people.

 On a previous visit I photographed this site. Amazing how the snow makes it so much prettier, to me anyway!

Although you would think a cemetery is normally quiet, Lone Fir usually isn't. It's surrounded by streets with cars and traffic, homes and apartment buildings. Even inside there are usually squirrels and birds; the ravens, especially, make plenty of noise with their squawking. But today, the snow muffled the sounds. The squirrels and birds were nowhere to be seen, most likely hunkering down and waiting for the storm to pass. For once, this place was truly quiet, and serene. I think this photo gives you a feel of that.

 You know if you've read my previous blogs that I love the trees at Lone Fir. I did a blog entirely on the trees to be found there, including several that hold the Portland Heritage Tree designation. Today, the trees that really stand out are the Sequoia. Their beautiful reddish trunks are highlighted by the pure, white snow.

Here are Elizabeth and James Stephens. 

James is considered the donor of the land that became Lone Fir Cemetery.

Elizabeth doesn't look very happy to be covered in snow, does she? 

This is the prettiest angel in the cemetery, I think. She also seems to be the happiest.

 

This beautiful tribute caught my attention.  It leaves no doubt that this mother was (and is) loved.

And with one last photo of this angel, who appears to be standing guard, I left the cemetery and headed for the comforts of my warm apartment. Thank you, to the good people who inhabit Lone Fir, for letting me wander amongst you. You may be dead, but you are not gone! Your stories, your presence, remain as an inspiration to those of us who are lucky enough to visit you here. Till next time, rest well.

The Trees of Lone Fir

Today was a beautiful summer day - no wait, it's still spring, but it sure felt like summer since it was 80 degrees! I noticed on a walk I took the other day that all the trees have filled out at Lone Fir, so I packed my camera and headed over there.  On the way I noticed this rope swing in someone's front yard.  We used to have one as kids.  It brought back nice memories.  Funny how some little things can do that.

 I also noticed this really cool fence that someone made from recycled metal parts, like old water faucet handles.  

I also decided to find out more about the white bicycles you see around town, since there is one right at the corner of Lone Fir Cemetery, at 26th and Stark, which I've always wondered about.  I found out these are called "Ghost Bikes."  They are memorials to bicyclists who died from being hit by a motorist at that location.  This ghost bike is for a young man named Nick Bucher who was only 24 years old.  Here's the  link to his memorial, and the Ghost Bike website.  They have been placed all over the world. You can click on a map of Portland and identify who the bikes at various locations are for.

Did you know that the cemetery used to be called Mt. Crawford?  In 1866, when a group of investors purchased the cemetery from Colburn Barrell, they renamed it to Lone Fir, as there was only a single fir tree at the site.  I think the trees of Lone Fir are special, so today my focus is on them, instead of the people who are buried there. Now that it's spring, the trees have new leaves and some are in bloom. It's absolutely beautiful!  The grass is also blooming, with tiny daisies decorating many of the graves. 

I love the fact that we have Flowering Dogwood trees here in Portland.  They are so gorgeous.  Spring first began with daffodils blooming, followed by the cherry trees, then dogwoods, lilacs and tulips.  Next it will be the peonies.  All my favorites!

This next tree is a chestnut tree. 

 I love the large upright clusters of pink blossoms they have.

Their leaves are similar to the horse chestnut, or buckeye tree, which has white blossoms.  There are many of those at Lone Fir, too. In the fall the ground is littered with the fallen nuts, inedible to us, but not to the squirrels!

 

And speaking of squirrels, they are all over Lone Fir.  Squirrels, and also ravens.  I noticed what looked like a squirrel chasing a raven, and I stopped to watch.  It was hilarious!  Apparently someone put peanuts out for the squirrels, and every time the squirrel would go bury one of them, a raven would follow him to eat it for himself.  The squirrel did not like that!  He kept chasing the ravens away, but they just followed him wherever he went. Here are some pictures of them...

"I can get my own, but the squirrel's taste better."

"Go away, raven - I mean it!"

"Get out of here.  That's my peanut!"

"Are those pesky ravens gone?"

On July 24, 2010, The City of Portland designated three trees in the 30-acre cemetery as Heritage Trees. Heritage trees are those that are regarded as being of "special importance to the city" because of "their age, size, type, historical association or horticultural value." Those three are the cemetery's namesake Douglas fir; the General Joseph Lane maple; and a 100-foot incense cedar.  The Portland Parks and Recreation website lists all of the Heritage Trees in Portland, with maps, in their Heritage Tree Guidebook.  Lone Fir's can be found on page 31.

Here is the Douglas Fir the cemetery is named for.

 This is the General Joseph Lane maple tree.

It is so large I couldn't photograph the whole thing at one time.  I did lay down to get this photograph looking up into the tree.  This is still only a small part, maybe one-fourth, of the foilage.  It's really amazing!

And this is the heritage Incense Cedar...

This tree has such beautiful vertical lines on the bark.

 

Some other (non-Heritage) trees have identification tags, like this Youngs Weeping Birch. There are quite a few of them.  Most have the knobby, uneven trunks like the one below.

But just look at the foilage - beautiful!

I did recognize some trees on my own, that were not identified with any markers of any kind, like this Ginko Biloba. According to Wikipedia, "Ginkgo, also spelled gingko and known as the maidenhair tree, is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives. The ginkgo is a living fossil, recognizably similar to fossils dating back 270 million years."  Many of you may be familiar with it because of herbal supplements of Ginko, which are supposed to help with memory and circulation, among other things. I've always loved Ginko since I was a little girl in Pennsylvania, because of its delicate, fan-shaped leaves that turn yellow in the fall.

This is one of the tallest, thinnest Ginko trees I have ever seen.  It's the one directly in the middle.

Easy to identify by these special fan-shaped leaves.
Also easy to identify is the Japanese Maple.  Their delicate, lacy leaves and shapely silhouettes make them stand out.

The finches were happy in this holly tree with the many red berries to eat, but flitted around too much for me to catch them in a photo. Maybe I could have been more patient if it wasn't so hot outside.

I also enjoyed the camellia trees, which, heretofore, I only thought of as bushes, but they are considered trees.

And of course, the "Rhodies" or Rhododendron, which I just found out are also considered trees, not bushes.  They are blooming in all colors all over Portland.  I love it!

I really liked how the trunks looked like sculptures, artfully arranged.  But, the flowers were the best part.

On my way home from Lone Fir, I came across several TVs, couches and other junk that people had put on the curb, hoping someone would want their discards.  I admit, sometimes you can find some cool stuff on the street, but it should be obvious that nobody would want this gigantic TV, which probably even got rained on at some point!

I hope the person saw this and disposed of it properly.  Go, Rid Patrol!  A few blocks later I came across a woman walking her pet turtle in the street.  Too funny!  Apparently she takes him on daily walks like this.  Only in Portland!