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http://i.imgur.com/BBsmXtU.jpg
Basquiat's grave is a personal favorite as I'm a fan of his work. It's one of the most heavily-sought out (and, given the size of the stone, hardest to find) spots in the cemetery and attracts the most offerings from visitors. Generally these are cleared out on a weekly-or-so basis by the groundskeepers but, given the current influx of bodies and general madness, I imagine they're running behind. I've found letters, artwork, pens, paints, spray cans, money, all kinds of stuff here. Today's sighting includes a cunning miniature bust of Van Gogh made of Sculpey clay (barely visible in this picture above the dash in "Jean-Michel"), a tattered Puerto Rican flag and a macrame coaster.
http://i.imgur.com/EXKR3rp.jpg
Age has worn down most of the stones and left behind a dark patina of lichen and soot. Sometimes this makes them difficult to decipher; sometimes it renders them newly beautiful in ways the original sculptor could hardly have dreamed of.
http://i.imgur.com/tv9SeGM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JOAdnAg.jpg
One of the best of the Cemetery's many outrageous ornamental door handles.
http://i.imgur.com/i0IKR9g.jpg
Spectacular metal work on a tomb door window.
http://i.imgur.com/UoH7J9G.jpg
Probably unrelated... but who knows!
http://i.imgur.com/ya3y67y.jpg
This grave is something of an ongoing mystery for me. There are no other markings or names on the stone but the ones you see here and the marker stands a good seven feet tall. There are no stones for a considerable portion of space in front of the marker... enough room to, say, bury a horse. That said, when I asked him, the Cemetery historian stated categorically that he does not believe there is a horse buried on the grounds. One wonders if perhaps the Seaman in question is Seaman Lichtenstein who, as per this 1902 obit "was a lover of horses and owned many fast trotters, some of which held records"? Further research and conversation is likely necessary.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136450223/seaman-lichtenstein
http://i.imgur.com/94oBWzm.jpg
A shady spot hides a uniquely stylized rendering of the Sacratissimum Cor Iseu (aka "Sacred Heart of Jesus") pose
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart
http://i.imgur.com/2kmjFIl.jpg
It was once common to have a head and foot stone, especially over the grave of children, with a garden running between. Most of these are now barren so it's always a treat to see new life sprouting from within.
http://i.imgur.com/uPPHx34.jpg
Two-year-old John R Hardenbergh was my May 3 "happy death day" sighting. The 1904 Corporate Directory linked below lists Thomas E Hardenbergh as the Secretary of the NJ Singer Manufacturing Company
https://books.google.com/books?id=IOU5AQAAMAAJ
https://www.loc.gov/item/nj0983/
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 19:18 (four years ago) link
some real pressure points from that link
Padilla began working at Green-Wood three years after the 9/11 attacks. He started as a part-time landscaper, but three years later, in 2007, a full-time job opened up. To land it, Padilla had to complete a 40-day trial that culminated in a unique test given to all prospective Green-Wood employees: dig a full-size grave by himself in under four hours.“I dug the hole, and I cried the minute I was done, like a little baby,” said Padilla, who was then 27. “It was a major accomplishment for myself.”
“I love coming here every day, even with everything that’s happening,” Padilla said. “Have you seen this place?” he said when asked why. “How beautiful it is?”
Padilla said the crisis hit him especially hard one day last week when he noticed two sets of remains came in the same day, a man and woman with the same last name. Padilla said it appeared they were a husband and wife who both died from COVID-19, apparently within hours of each other.
Padilla drove toward the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and headed east, nodding his head to tracks from the late rapper Pop Smoke. He soon pulled up outside his home in Middle Village, Queens, where he lives with his girlfriend.It was nearing 10 p.m. Padilla knew there were about two dozen sets of remains waiting for him when he showed up at work the next morning. Thursday was the first day of his work week. He had six more days ahead of him. But he wasn’t thinking about that now. He was exhausted and just wanted to take a shower. Padilla walked into his bedroom and kicked off his shoes, but he never made it to the shower. He lay down in his bed, still fully dressed, and drifted off into a deep sleep.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 8 May 2020 16:07 (four years ago) link
two weeks pass...
Speaking of Pop Smoke, I kept running into groups of kids in hoodies in the same section of the cemetery and couldn't figure out why... that's hardly a regular occurrence. A bit of research revealed he was buried in one of the new sections of the cemetery and they must be paying respects. I'll try to find and get a photo next time I'm in there.
I have a few hundred more pictures from the past two weeks but it takes time to upload and curate and read up on the histories... anybody care?
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Saturday, 23 May 2020 20:25 (four years ago) link
two months pass...
five months pass...
took a walk out there to get my head together and found an all-time champion.
Ladies, gentlemen, intersex and non-binary: allow me to introduce you to... Mother Puttfarcken
http://i.imgur.com/X8XZByf.jpg