Today I had to go to Marlborough and decided to let the GPS drag me down some back roads. I am so happy I chose to do this instead of going the way I knew! I ended up on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere (which is always a nice thing for me) and when I passed a cemetery that looked like it was full of old slate stones I couldn’t resist. Oh! This cemetery had the most character of any slate graveyard I have been in! Whoever was carving those old stones must have had quite the personality! I got to see all the usual designs – cherubs, urns, weeping willows, but with so much added extra flair it was unbelievable. Odd swoops and swirls, intricate geometric designs, and even one which had a 3-D face. Totally bizarre! But how wonderful!

To add to my joy there was a perfect view of Mount Monadknock from here, a ton of adorable mushrooms springing up, the largest Old School outdoor crypt I have seen in this area (with SEVEN rooms!) and adjoining the cemetery there was the ruins of the old meeting house and the crumbling foundation of the town pound, which I must say was also enormous, historically speaking. Marlborough must have been an epicenter at some point. I was amazed. It’s a tiny town today, mostly populated by trees – so much so my GPS wanted to get me home on an old logging road. I denied this. Didn’t want to die up there. In any event this was a happy little detour for me and my poor mother who I was dragging along for the ride. I made sure to buy her an ice cream afterwards, a belated birthday celebration…. ice cream and a cemetery…. We’re an odd bunch.

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

CEMETERY:

RUINS: