Category: General

Cemetery Tourism

Posted on Posted in General, OctoberTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Have you ever heard the term cemetery tourism before? Visiting cemeteries may not be at the top of your list when on vacation, but it should be!

In recent years cemetery tourism has become more and more popular. But, I would argue that it has always been. In today’s blog post, I wanted to talk a little bit about cemetery tourism and share a few upcoming cemetery tours happening in Ontario.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the only open places around were cemeteries. They afforded people an outdoor space to take walks and get fresh air, revealing their importance alongside parks and other green spaces. This also gave people a chance to appreciate cemeteries as more than just places of sorrow and remembrance, but also places of art, history, and culture. 

Since then, visiting cemeteries and graveyards has become an increasingly popular trend, not only among taphophiles and genealogists but also among general tourists. Wandering around cemeteries in new places is a great way to learn about the history and heritage of an area, and to also see examples of local art and architecture.

But cemetery tourism really isn’t anything new!

For decades people have been traveling the world specifically to visit tombs and mausoleums. The pyramids of Giza see over 14 million visitors each year, making them one of the most popular tombs in the world.1 Granted, the Pyramids are one of the seven wonders of the world, they are also tombs that were built over 4500 years ago by the ancient Egyptians to honor their dead.2 

Another popular example is the Taj Mahal, a white marble mausoleum that was built in memory of an emperor’s wife.3 It sees approximately 7 to 8 million visitors per year.4 Visitors flock to this site, not only to experience the exquisite architecture but to also experience the reverence this tomb represents. 

  • Cemetery Tourism

Closer to home, I find it’s common to see cemetery stops marked along motorcycle and cycling routes. Not only are cemeteries and graveyards perfect places to stop and stretch your legs on a long bike trip, but they also make interesting points of interest where you can learn more about the history of an area. 

Another way cemetery tourism is becoming more prevalent is the creation of cemetery tours. I see more tours offered every year in local or nearby city cemeteries. Not only are they great ways for cemeteries to fundraise, and bring more people into the cemetery. It’s a perfect way to highlight the cemetery’s history, showcase important people, and make history come alive. 

Generally, cemetery tours can be done at any time of year. You can often find them happening in the summer months. But, I find October is the best time of year for a cemetery walk. The atmosphere is perfect, with the crisp air and crunchy leaves. It’s a beautiful backdrop to explore history and learn about the past. October cemetery tours can be a fun activity to do if you are looking for something different to do for Halloween. Often, some of the history shared is on the darker side, creating an eerie atmosphere as you stroll among the graves.

Want to add a cemetery walk to your list of activities this month? Here is a small round-up of cemetery tours that are happening in Ontario. I would suggest booking your tickets fast as October is almost over! 

Upcoming cemetery tours

Fergus: Wellington County Museum & Archives Cemetery Tour 

Friday, October 27 from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person.

This tour takes place outside on the museum grounds, and at the Poor House Cemetery where over 200 inmates were laid to rest.

You can purchase tickets at this link.

Hamilton: War of 1812 Cemetery Tour

Saturday, October 28 at 11 a.m. This is a free event. Roughly 2 hours in duration.

A lively, informative tour of selected grave sites in historic Hamilton Cemetery. Each tour will introduce you to some of Hamilton’s more interesting personalities and its rich history.

Visit their website for more information. 

Mississauga: Haunted Mississauga 2023 Heritage Tour

Friday, October 27. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

Tours run at 7 p.m., 7:20 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:20 p.m., 8:40 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tours take approximately 45 minutes.

This event includes a guided heritage tour around a dimly lit historic cemetery with actors retelling stories from the darker side of the past.

You can purchase your tickets at Eventbrite.

Ottawa: Tales from the Mausoleum at Beechwood Cemetery

Monday, October 23 to Monday, October 30. Tours run at 8 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. every night. There is an extra tour time of 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, October 28. Tours are roughly 75 minutes in duration.

A one-of-a-kind evening filled with storytelling and chills.  Experience the darker history of the cemetery’s early days and the ghost stories connected to some who rest there—including strange reports from staff that continue to this day. 

You can purchase tickets at this link.

Toronto: The People of Park Lawn Cemetery Tour

Saturday, October 28 at 1 p.m. and Sunday, October 29 at 1 p.m. Both tours are identical and will be roughly 2 hours in duration. This is a free event.

Park Lawn Cemetery is considered an oasis in the West End of Toronto; complete with lush greenery and winding walking paths. Its grounds also contain the earthly remains of some notable—and less notable—Toronto residents whose stories helped shape the city and the country.

Visit the Facebook event page to mark yourself as going.

Self-guided tours

If the above dates don’t work for you, or you would rather wander the cemetery at your own pace, some cemeteries offer self-guided cemetery tours. These types of tours can be done at any time of year. You can sometimes find handouts for self-guided tours at the cemeteries office, that include maps, directions, and information about the more notable or interesting things found in the cemetery. There are also sometimes resources online at the cemetery’s website that can be downloaded onto your phone for a mobile-guided experience.

Have you been on a cemetery tour before? Will you include one on your bucket list the next time you are on vacation? I would love to hear about your bucket list destinations or any cemetery tours you would recommend.

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Opening Hours | Giza Pyramid
  2. History | Giza Pyramid
  3. Taj Mahal | Unesco World Heritage Convention
  4. Views of the Taj Mahal | Taj Mahal

Spooky Grave Goods

Posted on Posted in General, OctoberTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

In honor of the Spooky season, I wanted to do a sort of spooky show-and-tell. For today’s blog post, I want to talk about some of the creepier grave goods I have come across while exploring and photographing cemeteries.

Grave goods is a term used for items left behind at a grave. I have always found it fascinating what people leave behind. There are a variety of reasons someone might leave grave goods; to pay their respects, to honor their loved one, this list goes on.

The most common grave goods I see in my cemetery travels are flowers, but I have also found coins, toys, figurines, and pieces of clothing such as hats or gloves. I have even found alcohol and cigarettes left on gravestones.

But there have been a couple of times where I have found some pretty creepy things. I would say maybe even sinister grave goods.

  • Spooky Grave Goods

A Horse Skull

One of the first creepy grave goods I ever came across was a skull hanging from a tree. I believe this is a horse skull, although I don’t know for certain. A horse skull would make sense for the area where it was found, in Verner Public Cemetery. Verner is a rural area, dotted with farmland.

How the skull ended up in the tree is another question entirely. I remember it was hanging on a tree at the edge of the tree line. Was it found in the forested area? Was it brought from an adjoining farm?

The questions will always remain…

  • A horse skull. Verner Public Cemetery, Verner ON ©2010

A Creepy Doll

I never expected to come across a creepy doll, the day I entered Blezard Valley Cemetery. It was in late May, that I discovered this one.

A creepy plastic doll, the kind where the eyes close when you tilt it backward. Except this one has a push pin pushed into its plastic eyeball. It was also painted black. I found it leaning up against the backside of a granite gravestone.

How it ended up there, I can’t even speculate. Was it bored teenagers? Or was it left behind with more sinister intentions? I took many photos but left the doll where I found it.

  • A creepy doll left at a grave. Blezard Valley Cemetery, Blezard Valley ON ©2021

A Ouija Board

I think this is one of my favorite spooky finds! Technically my mom found it. We had gone off on our own, in separate directions, meandering among the gravestones. She called me over when she spotted this unique grave good.

Laying above a small flat stone marker was this hand-made ouija board. It was painted by hand onto a small canvas. I wasn’t able to locate what had been used as a planchette. My guess is they used a glass or cup of some sort, and made sure to return it to where it came from. 

From the looks of it, this hand-made board had been sitting outside for some time. Being an avid Ouija board collector myself, I enjoyed finding this one. But of course, I left it where it was found.

  • A hand-made ouija board. St. Jacques Cemetery, Hanmer ON ©2021

I have written in the past about the cemetery etiquette I follow when visiting cemeteries. I do sometimes clear away debris to get a clearer picture or stand-up fallen grave goods that have been knocked over. But, I would never remove anything from a gravestone, or cemetery for that matter. 

Did you enjoy my round-up of the top three spookiest grave goods I have found in a cemetery? It’s one of my favorite things about cemeteries, you never know what you might find!

Have you ever found anything strange left behind in a cemetery? I would love to read about it in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Just a Quick Update

Posted on Posted in GeneralTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

It’s been a week since I have been back from vacation, and I am just now starting to feel settled back into my regular routine. It was great to take a break from work life and focus on relaxing and enjoying time with family. 

Although my vacation did get off to a rough start.

At the beginning of July, while visiting cemeteries in Cobalt, I picked up a bad case of poison ivy, except I didn’t realize it was poison ivy till about two weeks later. It spread quite a bit before I realized what it was. I was given some medication and spent most of July housebound, to try and heal up as fast as possible. 

This is a good reminder to always dress appropriately when exploring overgrown cemeteries! 

On top of that, a week before we were set to fly to Montreal, I also caught COVID-19. And because bad things usually happen in threes, the airline canceled our flight the night before our Monday departure and rescheduled it to a later flight on Tuesday. This change completely kiboshed our plans as we had appointments in Montreal booked for early Tuesday. We scrambled to try and make the trip work, regardless of all the challenges thrown at us, but alas it just didn’t work out. We had to cancel our whole trip. It was a huge bummer and left both my fiancé and I feeling defeated.

If we had made it to Montreal, I wouldn’t have had a chance to visit Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery after all. The labor strike is over, but due to the need for maintenance and cleanup, the cemetery is not open yet. As of this writing, their website states that site cleaning is only at 45% completion. I suspect that they will be opening in September sometime.

So the first week of my vacation was a bust. 

  • Just a Quick Update

I was able to enjoy the last week of my vacation, after finally testing negative for COVID. I enjoyed some beach days with my fiancé and a three-day trip with my mother. 

That being said, I have some great cemetery road trips and stone stories to share with you! Keep an eye out for some upcoming posts about visiting the second resting place of Tom Thomson, and seeing his artwork in person. We also made a stop to visit the grave of Billy Bishop, Canada’s own World War I flying Ace. We also had a chance to visit his childhood home which has been preserved as a historic house. 

Despite the medical setbacks, my summer vacation was still enjoyable, with lots of cemetery visits completed. The summer isn’t quite over, but I am starting to look forward to spending more time in cemeteries in the fall. I am also already starting to plan some fun spooky season content for the blog. There are only 79 days till Halloween after all!

I hope you have had a great summer so far too, and have been able to take some time to do the things that you enjoy. I would love to read about what you have been up to on your summer vacation in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Time for a Vacation

Posted on Posted in GeneralTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

It’s that time of year again! 

For the next two weeks I will be taking some time to step away from my computer and work life to enjoy the waning summer weather. I am hoping to disconnect, step out of routine, and explore with friends and family. 

I plan on visiting quite few cemeteries while I am away, like Canadas largest cemetery in Montreal. I also plan to pay my respects at the second resting place of Tom Thomson. So keep an eye out for some upcoming blog posts about those adventures. 

That being said, I will not be monitoring my social media channels while I am away, and I will reply to all questions and comments on my return. Regularly scheduled social posts will continue to go up as normal, except for my weekly blog posts. 

I hope everyone takes some time for themselves this summer to relax and recharge!

Thanks for reading! 

  • On Vacation

Our Story in Black and White: Photography Exhibit

Posted on Posted in GeneralTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Recently, I was very excited to learn that my work had been selected for a group photography show. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen a few posts about it. Gallery 6500 had put out a request for submissions from local photographers, looking for contemporary black and white photographs. 

They asked photographers to submit works that commented on social, political, economic, and environmental issues within our community. COVID-19 was a focal point of many submissions, including mine. There was a very nice Sudbury.com article written about the show, that highlights the theme as well as some of the other amazing photographers in the exhibit. 

The 5 photographers exhibiting are: Caio Higa, Debbie Anzinger Mckay, Debb Trahan-Pero, Rita Vanderhooft, and myself. 

I was thrilled when I got an email saying my cemetery photographs had been chosen. This is my first time exhibiting in a gallery, and I was a little uncertain as to how my photography would be received. I have been in one other group photography show, that was more of a market or craft show style. It’s been a great experience working with the Gallery and organizers to bring this show to life. 

Last Sunday, April 30th, was the opening of the exhibit. It was a great event! There was a great turnout of friends and family of each featured photographer. It was so nice to see so many people come through to enjoy the photographs. Personally, seeing so many of my friends and family come out to support me made my heart full. I sometimes feel like my work goes unnoticed and I am creating content just for myself, so seeing so many people come out to support me and overhearing conversations surrounding my work was such a thrill!

Our Story in Black and White: Photography Exhibit, at Gallery 6500

I am very excited and honored to be exhibiting alongside such great photographers. There are a variety of subjects presented, each in the photographer’s own unique style. I am sure there is something there for everyone to connect with. There is some very powerful work on display. 

If you were not able to attend the opening, there is still time to visit this great exhibit. Gallery 6500, at 66 Brady Street, in the Steel Workers Hall is open for viewing on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our Story in Black and White is running until June 30th, and is dedicated to the memory of Don Kuyek. Don’t forget to sign the guest book and share your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Celebrate Cemetery Appreciation Month

Posted on Posted in GeneralTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Did you know that May is Cemetery Appreciation Month?

I first learned about it in 2021, and I have been celebrating every year since. Cemeteries are often seen as taboo and they are not often the first place someone would think to visit, but I believe that cemeteries are for the living. They are filled with history, art, and architecture, and are wonderful places to go for a stroll, or bird watching, among other things. Yes, they are resting places for our loved ones and should be respected, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy their beauty as well. Cemeteries were the blueprints for today’s public parks, after all. 

So how do you celebrate? In 2021, I created a mini bucket list of things to do during the month to foster an appreciation for cemeteries. It was a nice excuse to spend more time outside. I had a lot of fun completing everything on my list. Some activities on my list included visiting a cemetery I had not visited before, and re-visiting a favorite local cemetery.

This year I wanted to do something a little different. I’m a graphic designer by trade and wanted to create something that would bring my two loves together—design and cemeteries. I was also inspired by a cemetery scavenger hunt I took part in last October. I thought it would be really fun to do something similar with my group of friends. 

So I thought why not design a Cemetery Bingo card? 

  • Cemetery Bingo Card
    Designed and illustrated by Chantal Larochelle ©2023

It’s a great activity to do in a group or solo and lets you explore the world of cemetery symbols. I created my cards using my cemetery photographs as a reference. I illustrated 40 symbols that are commonly found on gravestones. I included the name beneath the symbol as well, to help identify common motifs you might find while walking in a cemetery. 

To play, all you need to do is print out a copy, bring something to mark your cards, and go for a walk in your local cemetery. Match the symbols on the card to what you find on the gravestones. The first one to get a full line wins! You can make that two lines, or even a full card to make it a bit more challenging. I can see this being a fun tool to introduce your friends and family to cemeteries and help explore gravestone symbolism. It could also be a fun activity for kids. 

Please remember to be respectful when visiting your local cemeteries. For a guide on cemetery etiquette, you can read a previous blog post I wrote about the rules I follow when visiting a cemetery here.

  • Who wants to play Cemetery Bingo? Designed and illustrated by Chantal Larochelle ©2023

My friends and I will be going on a cemetery road trip very soon, and I think it will be a great opportunity to try out the bingo cards. We have a lot planned already, but I think we can fit in a round of Cemetery bingo. I’ll be sharing how our cemetery bingo plays out in my stories on Instagram on May 6th. 

Do you want to play too? You can download a set of 4 cards here, for free.

For best results, send this print-ready file to a local print shop, or you can print them at home on your home printer. Just be careful when you are trimming the pages. Then all you need are some markers, stickers, or bingo dabbers to mark off your finds and have fun! Make sure to tag me in your photos or stories on Instagram and Facebook. 

Happy Cemetery Appreciation Month!

Thanks for reading!

A Personal Cemetery Mystery

Posted on Posted in General, Stone StoriesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

I have been thinking a lot lately about my connection to cemeteries. I recently read Death’s Garden Revisited, edited by Loren Rhoads. It’s a collection of 40 personal essays by people from all walks of life, regarding their own connections with cemeteries. I saw a lot of myself in those essays, and it has encouraged me to look back on past events in my own life that have attributed to my love of cemeteries. 

One of those moments that stand out, is a family story that has been passed down by my mother. I was too young at the time, so I have no memory of it, but my mother has told me the story many times.

When I was a child, I saw an angel in a cemetery.

Now you may be thinking, well yes, there are lots of angels in cemeteries! And yes, this is very true. Angel statues are a very common sight in Catholic cemeteries. Children are also known to have overactive imaginations, and I was no exception. I did have an imaginary friend growing up. But I am curious and wanted to learn more about the circumstances of this cemetery visit.

One of my earliest memories is of attending my uncle’s funeral in Elliot Lake. I was very young, maybe 5 or so, but I vividly remember the funeral parlor. I remember the smell of the parlor, as well as seeing many somber family members, sitting in dark leather armchairs. I don’t remember the cemetery though. Was this the same moment? Were we visiting the cemetery after the funeral service? 

In 2021, my mother and I took a drive to Elliott Lake to do some hiking and cemetery wandering. We visited my uncle in the cemetery. I had no recollection of being there, but my mother had vivid memories of the place. She said it looked a lot different; there had not been as many graves in the section where my uncle was laid to rest. Over the years it had become a very popular section. It was so full that the cemetery opened another section at the back, which was now about half full. The cemetery has no standing gravestones, only flat grave markers. No angel statues here. My Mom confirmed this was not the cemetery where I saw an angel.

It turns out there is MUCH more to this story. 

In the summer of 1987, My mother, father and I were visiting my uncle in Quebec for a family reunion. I would have been about 3 years old. It was planned to be a big reunion of my father’s side of the family. Unfortunately, only we showed up. My uncle was a bit dismayed but decided to not let that ruin our visit, so there was a change of plans. Since we were close to Quebec City we would visit some old stomping grounds and visit some cemeteries to visit family. There was one family member in particular that my dad and uncle wanted to find—their uncle Joseph Larochelle.

The story goes that my great-uncle, Joseph Larochelle who was blind, went out into a snowstorm with his dog. His Family members told him not to go out, because of the blustery winter weather—but he went anyway. He said he would be fine since he had his dog with him. Unfortunately, he lost his way in the storm and went missing. Tragically, both he and his dog perished in the storm. He had gotten stuck on a fence and was not able to break free. He was not found until the late spring. 

My dad and uncle did manage to find the grave of Joseph. They took a picture with the gravestone that has some details of what happened to him. The gravestone states he was blind, died February 18, and was found June 4. I don’t know the year, as the photo is a little hard to read. It was while visiting this cemetery that I saw an angel. 

  • My dad with the gravestone for Joseph Larochelle. Photo taken by my mother, ©1987

The gravestone reads: “Joseph Larochelle / Blind / Died February 18 / And Found / June 4, 19_1 / Aged __ Yrs. / R.I.P”

I have reached out to my aunts and uncles to see if they have more information, or know which cemetery he is buried in. I have not been able to find anything much so far. My searches on Find a Grave and Ancestry have not turned up anything yet. I have an idea where to look—Quebec City, but I don’t have much more than that at the moment. I would love to learn more about my great-uncle, as well as the cemetery where he is laid to rest. Is it filled with stone angels? 

When I started looking into this story, I didn’t expect to uncover a cemetery mystery. I love a good cemetery mystery, and it’s even more intriguing to have a family connection to one. I will keep researching and maybe will have an update on this story in the future. In the meantime, I will continue to go down cemetery rabbit holes looking for answers. Maybe I’ll also get closer to answering my question about my cemetery angel. 

Thanks for reading!

Blog updates & more…

Posted on Posted in General, UpdateTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I realize I owe you all a blog post after missing last Sunday, but I don’t have anything that is quite ready to share with you yet. I have a few posts that I have been working on, but more research is needed. So instead, this will be an update, to share what I have been working on and what you can look forward to on the blog in the coming months. 

  • Blog updates and more

Most recently, I have been working on a piece inspired by Death’s Garden Revisited, edited by Loren Rhoads. My piece is about my own personal connection to cemeteries. After speaking with my Mother about the subject, it created more questions than answers. As we chatted we uncovered our own little family cemetery mystery, which sent me down yet another research rabbit hole. I’m sure you all will find that story very interesting. 

I have also been saving a cemetery story, especially for this month, as February is the anniversary of this local tragedy. I need a little more time to work through the research and sort through my photos from last summer’s road trip. That will be another post to look forward too.

Along with writing and creating content for the blog, I have also been taking an online course to sharpen my writing skills. The course is through Atlas Obscura and is called Historical Nonfiction: Research-based writing with Hadley Meares. This 4-week course promises to help you write historical essays using a research-based lens. I am on week 3 of the course and it has already solidified the good writing habits I already had while introducing new habits, methods, and resources to my writer’s toolbox. I look forward to sharing the article that comes from completing the course. 

Amidst all this writing I have also been updating the portfolio section of my website. I have posted many additions to my existing web portfolios and have added some new ones entirely. Sorting through, editing, and posting my archive of cemetery photos has been a great way to look back at all the cemetery adventures I have had over the years.

I have also been working on researching some new areas and cemeteries to visit. I have some great cemetery road trips already planned for this summer and can’t wait to get back on the road and photographing. I plan on visiting Owen Sound, for part two of Chasing Tom Thomson, while also stopping in at some fun interesting spots along the way. I also have another trip planned for early spring which will include my first visit to a loyalist cemetery, and seeing table stones in person. I’m pretty excited about that trip.

I have also been busy getting some submissions ready for a local photography contest, and a gallery showing. I am not quite sure how my cemetery work will be received, but I think they could be great opportunities to get my work out there, regardless of the outcome.

Hopefully, some of these upcoming posts sound interesting and will have you coming back to read more. As always, if you have any book or cemetery recommendations, or cemetery stories of your own to share, please leave me a comment or send me an email at hello@chantallarochelle.ca

Thanks for reading! 

Year in Review – 2022

Posted on Posted in GeneralTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

2022 has been a very good year for Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle!

I wanted to take this opportunity to look back at some of the highlights and achievements from this past year.

My biggest goal for 2022 was consistency. It has been an issue that I have struggled with for years. I finally found myself working and maintaining a consistent posting schedule on the blog. The top 5 most viewed posts on the blog this year were: Haunted Cemetery Road Trip – The Beck House, A Gift Guide for Taphophiles, My Local Haunted Cemetery, Finding the abandoned Happy Valley cemetery, and 25 Cemeteries in the City of Greater Sudbury. It’s an amazing feeling to share these stories with you, and grow this passion project of mine.

2022 was a year full of adventure! I visited 78 cemeteries this year and was able to break my record for the number of cemeteries visited in one day—15. A personal best! I visited my first pet cemetery and went on many fun and fascinating cemetery road trips. There are a few that stand out, like hiking through Algonquin Provincial Park and finding the first grave of Tom Thomson. That was a bucket list trip for me, and one of my biggest adventures so far. A lot of planning and research went into that trip, and the journey was incredibly worth it. Spending the night at the haunted Beck House was another highlight for me. Haunted holidays with my fiancé are always my favorite, but this year will be hard to top. This beautiful victorian style mansion is beautiful on its own, but its history makes it even more interesting. We had an amazing visit and made sure to pay our respects to the Becks, at their family mausoleum. I look forward to sharing more cemetery road trip adventures from 2022 but I am excited to see what 2023 will bring.

I am amazed at the following I have been able to foster on my social media channels. Over 2 000 followers on Instagram! Wow, what a milestone! Thank you to everyone who has liked, followed, commented, and shared my social and website posts. It means the world to me. I am so proud to be part of the online cemetery community, and love connecting with like-minded taphophiles. Because of this, I have branched out from Facebook and Instagram to Flickr and Pinterest as well. 

Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle, Top Nine images on Instagram for 2022

This year has also been one of recognition! I am so thankful to all those who have shared my posts and photos. Not only was I featured in the March 2022 Ancestor Hunting newsletter, under Links we like. I was also asked by the Sudbury Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society to write something for their newsletter. My post Cemetery Symbolism in Sudbury District Cemeteries was published in the December issue of Ancestor Hunting. My Gift Guide for Taphophiles also garnered some attention and was shared in the Association for Gravestone Studies November e-newsletter. 

I feel that I am continuing to grow in my writing and am slowly finding my voice. I love sharing my cemetery adventures and am so happy that I have found an audience. I hope to continue my growth as a writer into the new year, by honing my skills and sharing even more stone stories and insights.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along with me on this journey! Sharing my passion for cemeteries with you all has been an amazing experience. I look forward to continuing to share my photography and adventures with you and seeing what 2023 will bring.

Happy New Year Everyone!