The cemetery chair
I’ve been to this cemetery a few times, and always find something interesting like star trails just before moonrise, or a cemetery angel, or concrete cross.
But my favorite thing I’ve seen there is this chair, backed up against a stone tower and angled to get a view of a rocky gravesite.
Marathon, Texas
photographed 9.6.2009
Posted on June 3, 2013, in Cemetery, Photography and tagged 365 photo project, black and white photography, cemetery, marathon, marathon texas, melinda green harvey, one day one image, photo a day, photography, texas. Bookmark the permalink. 28 Comments.
One Day | One Image 
this is an excellent shot.
Terry
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Thanks, Terry – for stopping by the blog and for the kind comment!
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I love this, Melinda! I have a thing for chairs, especially abandoned ones. So you got me first of all with the subject matter but the whole thing is terrific, from the buildings in the distance to the rubble in the foreground. Especially I like that rubble: great tones in there.
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Thanks, Ashley! The last time I was at this cemetery, the chair was gone. I missed it, and it made me sad to think about whoever used to sit in it, and what had happened to them.
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I wonder who would bring a chair to a memorial and just sit there forlornly just reminiscing and for how long…
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I think I am glad that all I saw was the chair; I am not sure that I could have handled seeing someone sitting there, in the desert heat, staring at that grave….
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This is a strange shot on so many levels. It’s wonderful.
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Thank you – I, too, find it to be a very strange scene. I tend to get wrapped up in things like who built that stone tower and why; who brought the chair and why; was it a chair they already had or did they get a new one just for the cemetery; had they stopped coming when I saw it, because the chair was broken; was that one rock deliberately placed on that round thing; and so on….
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I find it interesting the way the grave is sinking/settling – looks as if someone brings a few rocks (or drill leavings from concrete) when they come to add as backfill. Maybe they brought a rock or two, then sat down for a rest and to figure out how many more rocks and trips were needed.
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They also probably needed to take a break from the heat – this is in the desert of far west Texas and it gets pretty hot in the summer.
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So, they might have just been sitting in the shade and looking in a direction afforded by the shade, and not at a grave they were tending? It is an interesting scene however you slice it. Too bad the chair is gone now.
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Would it be weird if I took a replacement chair down there on my next trip?!
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Not too weird. I think you should. It should be a suitable colour though, for photography. Not just your photography, but the colour photographers too. Maybe a light turquoise, or bright yellow?
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A turquoise chair would be very nice. And, as it turns out, I have some turquoise paint left over from painting a thrift-store table…. Now, all I need is the chair.
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I expect you could go to one of your other chair outdoor locations and pick one up for free, suitably weathered and unlikely to be stolen from the cemetery. Wait a minute …
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Those chairs might need GPS so we can keep track of their surroundings…
I am thinking of taking a trip out to that part of the state later in the summer; the idea of taking a replacement chair (the color can be your choice) with me has a strange appeal.
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Well, my recommendation is just that it appear as a light tone in black and white to contrast nicely with the rocks. I think it is a great idea to re-chair that cemetery. Every cemetery needs a bench or a chair. A chair you can move into the shade makes more sense than a bench.
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“Re-Chairing the Cemetery” has a nice sound to it, I think. My friend Laurie would say, “That sounds like a poem.” But she’s a poet, and tends to say things like that.
Anyway, mid-August is the probable time for re-chairing. I’ll keep you posted….
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This is an amazing photograph.
Everything about it is wonderful.
Beautifully done!
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Thanks, Lisa. And thanks for following the blog, too!
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Coolest photo. I wonder what it is trying to tell us.
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For some reason, this shot gets MORE mysterious the more I look at it…it really must be trying to tell me something, and I hope I can get its message!
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… after taking pictures of ghostly orbs, the meaning of this mesmerizing shot should soon arrive your way on feet of stealth …
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I’ll be waiting……
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Melinda G.H.: You must know that, “inspired” by your picture of the cem. chair, I wrote a short piece to go with it. Can I send it to you when I have it ready? it is in the same genre as my post “No way out” – I just have to fix it a little because I had forgotten that cemeteries in the US are often without tall enclosing walls and that yours ( it’s YOUR cemetery now!) seems to not even have trees in it. So to give it a suggestive-moody feeling is more difficult, but I’ll find a way around it between reality and imagination. It is about somebody who walks thru the cemetery until it finds the chair. ‘nough said for now ! Let me know. Vera.
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Vera – I am always happy to know that something I’ve done has inspired someone, and I would love to read your piece, when you are ready to show it to me. If you want, you can email it to me: melindagharvey@gmail.com.
Melinda
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Will do ! thanks, Vera
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