Depression, Bluegrass and Cemeteries

I've suffered with depression for many years... An on and off kind of thing.
Sometimes I can sense its insidious creeping across my life, like the girl from The Ring slithering its way into my days and nights.

Other times, it's like I stepped off a curb without looking both ways and it hits me full on like a mother fucking TANK bus.

Did anyone see the bus that sped away?

It's something that I don't even care to talk about, generally.  It makes me feel weak, less than really.  I know, intellectually, that is a silly way to feel.  But feeling that way doesn't make my feelings valid, it just makes me ashamed of them.

I know that I'm not alone in suffering from depression, it seems like people are suffering at epidemic proportions.  Of course I never liked being like everyone else.
My depression is also a medication-resistant variety, which basically means that I just need to learn to live with it.

Puny TrippyBeth

So, I have a few bad days now and then.  This weekend has been a few of those bad days.  Yesterday and today I have also been stricken with a migraine.  Migraines and depression travel hand-in-hand.

Why can't depression and glowing skin or depression and perfect hair or depression and ample breasts go hand-in-hand??

Sigh, but it is what it is.

So.... Friday night, before I was afflicted with the depression/migraine double whammy, I went out for a family birthday dinner and then headed to the Southgate House Revival (http://www.southgatehouse.com/) to see a show.

 

The Revival is such a cool venue...

Two shots from the Sanctuary.

I love old churches.  Not because I'm religious, I'm agnostic actually.  But because of the beautiful architecture. 
There is a small church for sale on Madison Avenue, that I'd love to have and convert into a home, if it wasn't on Madison Avenue.  Maybe some day...

We went to the Southgate to see The Tillers (http://the-tillers.com/home/) a really great local bluegrass band.  They did not disappoint.  Their sound is so clean, LOVE THEM!

Before The Tillers took the stage we were audibly raped by a band, whose genre I couldn't even begin to guess.  I could not decipher even ONE word that the singer was warbling... NOT ONE!
After a little homework, I discovered that they classified themselves as "Crust Metal". I've never heard of crust metal, I suppose I'm way outta the loop.  It doesn't matter though, you couldn't pay me to go to a crust metal show.

Also performing were Jason and the Punknecks (http://www.punknecks.com/), in the lounge.  I was diggin on them too, sadly the sound in there wasn't too good.  I suppose it was just an issue of acoustics, but  I'd definitely see them again.

Playing in the Sanctuary before The Tillers, were The Blue Rock Boys (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blue-Rock-Boys/237689076254875), an Irish traditional folk band.  They were great too!

The Pièce de résistance was The Tillers!!

When I got home Friday night, i put the camera on charge in anticipation of heading to Spring Grove Cemetery Saturday morning.

I got up Saturday morning, gathered my camera, a rain hat and hit the road.

I got to Spring Grove, it was overcast, but not raining.  There weren't a lot of people there, even though it was warm.  I got the Nikon out, put it around my neck, stuck the iPhone in my pocket and headed out.  I get to the edge of one of the ponds, there was some fog still hanging over the water, a perfect photo op.  I turn on the Nikon.  Nothing.
I go back to the car, exchange the battery.  Still NOTHING.
I was so frustrated, I couldn't figure out what was going on, I had charged the camera for several hours.
Maybe I had over-charged it?  Is that even possible?

I was mad and nearly left.

But, I still had my trusty iPhone and I've taken some pretty fantastic photos with it in the past, so off i went!
I got some pretty good shots, I'm printing a few to frame and add to my gallery wall.

Here are a couple, the first, of course is me.  You can check out more, if you like, at my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/trippybeth/.

When I got home, start looking over the camera, I discover that I was charging it WRONG.  Sheesh AND I had even charged it once before!!  I am so not techy, and obviously not a reader of operations manuals.
But now, the camera is fully charged and I 'm ready to head out and get some more awesome photos!  I'd love to get some cemetery shots in the snow, surely that should be doable soon!

Ok, I'm off now, hopefully my head will calm down enough for me to finish the book I'm reading...

To go completely off subject, I'd love to go to Mortuary School, I think I'd be good at it, good with the departed and with the families.  Sadly, as a single girl, there's no way I could do it now, financially and with work.

Oh, and I'll leave you with a photo of my new notepad, I can't wait to write a note to the Backstabber on it!!

Cemetery Girl Strikes Again!

Wow! Yesterday was a fabulously beautiful day in the Ohtucky!!

I haven’t taken any photos for a while, so after a little urging by a friend (thank you Mary) I headed out to Linden Grove Cemetery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linden_Grove_Cemetery) the oldest surviving cemetery in Covington.  It is quite lovely and peaceful, but most cemeteries are really.  I was lucky enough to be the only person there, aside from the residents, of course.

I walked over almost all of it, taking photos, some of which were good, others, meh.  It was nearly noon, so the sun was not too cooperative as it tends to be.  The most random shots turned out to be the best.

I even stretched out under a tree for a little while, letting the peace of the place wash over me...

The Cemetery Girl in her repose.

The view from the ground.



The following photos are from Linden Grove:

Hmmmmm, keeping someone OUT? Or Keeping SOMETHING in?

I especially like how I accidentally got my shadow in this shot, however, I wish that I had not gotten my car in it.



After Linden Grove, I headed over to Spring Grove Cemetery.  To say that I am enamored with this place would be an understatement.  Of course, everyone in the tri-state area loves it, and why wouldn’t they??  The views are breathtakingly beautiful.

The following photos are from Spring Grove Cemetery:

The Dexter Mausoleum, built for a whiskey barron, PERFECT.

I love the light in this shot, but i really want to get back when the leaves are gone and the sun isn't so high in the sky, so that I can get a good photo of the mausoleum in it's entirety.

Gothic architecture has to be my absolute favorite.

Can you imagine spending eternity here??

Barefoot in the Cemetery

As I've mentioned in a previous posting, one of my hobbies is photographing cemeteries.  I am not a professional photographer, obviously.  But, I like to consider myself an iPhonographer.  I never even use my digital camera anymore.  Hell, I don't even know where it is.  My phone has an 8mp camera, the digital camera is a 12mp, and honestly I can't tell the difference between the two.

The bonus with the iPhone is that I can run the photos immediately through a photo app.

Back in the spring I made several trips to local cemeteries to get some photos and in May, visited the Bonaventure Cemetery while I was in Savannah, GA.

I don't understand why more people don't visit cemeteries.  While I love parks, I actually prefer cemeteries, they are often more beautiful with their statuary (I'm a sucker for statues) and plantings.  As a bonus, you don't usually see any annoying children running around, so it's truly peaceful!!

I am including some of the photos I've taken for your viewing pleasure..... hopefully pleasure......

These first six photos were taken at Highland Cemetery in Ft.Wright, KY (http://highlandcemetery.com/).

It's a rather large cemetery, I didn't even cover a fraction of it.  It is definitely on my list to return to.

The next four photos were taken at Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH.  Hands down one of the most beautiful places in the area (http://www.springgrove.org/).  Just like Highland, I must go back and do more exploration.

I think that when I return, I'll throw the bike on the bike rack and pedal across the miles of gravel roads.  As soon as the weather cools.  I do not like to sweat.

 The last four photos that I've included were taken in Savannah, Georgia, at the Bonaventure Cemetery (http://www.bonaventurecemeterytours.com/)  one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I've ever stepped foot in.
I fell in love with Savannah, I could see myself living there someday, it truly felt like a TrippyBeth kinda place.  There was culture, art, history, great food, yummy beer..... what else could a girl ask for??  And as a bonus, it generally does not snow there!!