Tuesday
Apr132010
Roadside Memorials, the Mothership
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 8:35AM
It has been a while since I've made any comments on Roadside Memorials, but my dislike for them has not diminished in at all.
My folks were traveling these past few weeks throughout the Southwest US. Instead of returning home with normal treasures, my parents brought me a photograph of this beauty somewhere along the highway in Arizona. They knew they would get a reaction out of me and they were pretty darn sure it would be reported immediately on theMangoTimes.
This is the grand-daddy of all memorials. A building? A cast iron gate and matching cast iron cross? They put some serious dough into this one. The concrete/wooden cross that I drive by every morning is nothing compared to this shrine. Notice a few things: first, the red warning signs are hard to read in this scan, but it says: Fire Danger - Do Not Put Flowers (in two languages). And, yes...those are flowers hanging on the gate.
Second, notice the sign to the right, it says "No Dumping"...unless of course you are dumping concrete and building materials to make a memorial.
Third, notice how the property owner or county has fenced around this memorial, so as not to fence right through it. I'm surprised they didn't petition the landowner for electric and water, so they could keep this thing lit up at night.
Note to my friends...when I die...no shrines, no memorials, no teddy bears, no Jesus candles...
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
My folks were traveling these past few weeks throughout the Southwest US. Instead of returning home with normal treasures, my parents brought me a photograph of this beauty somewhere along the highway in Arizona. They knew they would get a reaction out of me and they were pretty darn sure it would be reported immediately on theMangoTimes.
This is the grand-daddy of all memorials. A building? A cast iron gate and matching cast iron cross? They put some serious dough into this one. The concrete/wooden cross that I drive by every morning is nothing compared to this shrine. Notice a few things: first, the red warning signs are hard to read in this scan, but it says: Fire Danger - Do Not Put Flowers (in two languages). And, yes...those are flowers hanging on the gate.
Second, notice the sign to the right, it says "No Dumping"...unless of course you are dumping concrete and building materials to make a memorial.
Third, notice how the property owner or county has fenced around this memorial, so as not to fence right through it. I'm surprised they didn't petition the landowner for electric and water, so they could keep this thing lit up at night.
Note to my friends...when I die...no shrines, no memorials, no teddy bears, no Jesus candles...
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Reader Comments (7)
They wouldn't need water, unless they wanted their visitors to be able to refresh themselves. As for electrical power...that looks like a solar panel cemented into the ground just to the right, below the signs.
Can we preserve you in a village square for decades instead?
I live in Az (Tucson) and these type of memorials are EVERYWHERE! Have you seen the white bikes that I believe are called ghost bikes? We have those popping up all over Tucson nowadays.
On the subject of roadside memorials, something that really annoys me are the obits in the paoer that go on and on about the persons accomplishments, awards, donations made etc, etc, etc...and without Christ it was all for what!?
Steve, no I forgot to mention that...it's another memorial, just smaller and less obtrusive. I wonder how that guy feels about his loved ones?
Kelly, I'd love a pic of the ghost bikes...that is fodder for theMT...
I will send you a picture...now all I need to do is get my 16 year old daughter to remind me, i'd forget so much w/out her help!
We went to Jamba Juice and the park with the family yesterday and happened upon a ghost bike...sending pics to your e-mail now.