A View of the Old North Church from the Mosaic
(look at that beautiful grass!)
3 Facts leading to this post's significance:
--Those who knew me in high school and college might remember my love for Cemeteries. I would go there to read my scriptures, write in my journal, or just think. The Plano cemetery was my favorite--a beautiful peaceful view and lots of memories surrounding those buried there. Sugar City cemetery is also a favorite, and of course the Twin Falls cemetery. I was thinking about those cemeteries just the other day, remembering how I really grew a lot in my testimony on those grounds.
--Lately I really have been missing the monuments in DC. A great place to go and reflect, to think about important things, or just to BE somewhere beautiful with friends and loved ones.
--Ryan loves grass.
Forest Lawn is the name of the cemetery chain around Hollywood. On Labor Day, Seth and I kind of randomly happened to end up there (meaning, we had other plans that fell through and we were driving around there anyway, and Seth has wanted to go for awhile anyway, so we decided it was a great time to go!). I was SO glad. It was beautiful!
We parked by the "Birth of Liberty" mosaic, which, according to Wikipedia: "At 162 feet (49 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) high, Birth of Liberty is the largest historical mosaic in the United States. It is composed of ten million pieces of Venetian glass and depicts twenty-five scenes from early America, from 1619-1787." It is beautiful!
We walked around for awhile, and then let Ryan down in the grass in front of the mosaic. (a non-cemetery portion of grass!) It was so fun to let him crawl around and for Seth and I to talk about politics and other important matters in this little quiet peaceful place. A wonderful respite from the City. And the smog. And people. It reminded me of DC monuments mixed with old cemetery visits. And, after some research, I realized why I liked it so much: According to Wikipedia(again):
The first Forest Lawn, in Glendale, was founded in 1906 by businessmen who hired Dr. Hubert Eaton, a firm believer in a joyous life after death, who was convinced that most cemeteries were "unsightly, depressing stone yards," and pledged to create one that would reflect his optimistic beliefs, "as unlike other cemeteries as sunshine is unlike darkness." He envisioned Forest Lawn to be "a great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly death, but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, beautiful statuary, and... memorial architecture"
This is my kind of cemetery! If it weren't in L.A., I would insist upon being buried here (probably in plots by Walt Disney, because, hey, that'd be cool.) (Oh, wait, i just looked and he was cremated...so maybe I wouldn't be "next to him" per se).
So, um, here it is, people:
Ryan Loved Crawling up the steps! Practice makes perfect, and not broken heads, right?
My version of the "Panorama"
A closer view...
...and even closer! (can you believe the detail that goes into this!?!? I could never be an artist!)
1 comment:
What an incredible mosaic! WOW! I also have to laugh that Ryan LOVES grass. We are on the opposite end of the spectrum. We can't get Grant to touch it for anything and have to pack blankets all of the time!
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