It always takes me a few days to recover from Halloween here……two nights ago I had an all-too-vivid nightmare about a bacchanalian orgy in the Charter Street cemetery. But I woke up to a calm and beautiful day: Election Day, always a hopeful day for me. You’ve got to love off-year, local elections when the big issues are new trash barrels and cobblestones! Actually I am trivializing our election quite a bit: the large, looming development projects that I’ve been writing about all year are also big issues (but trash is big too). After I voted, I walked to work and checked the cemetery and Witch Trials Memorial along the way: all was calm and a few respectful people were walking around, really looking at the grave- and memorial stones rather than sitting on them! Salem has been returned to its residents, the dearly departed are not being trespassed, and I slept much better last night.
Feeling fortunate that two great, smart people ran for councilor of the ward that I live in, and that I can walk by the beautiful PEM garden on a 70-degree day in November.
Feeling fortunate that all those disrespectful people are GONE………
and that someone left an appropriate memorial to their ACTUAL ancestor, and that I get to walk by my favorite Salem house, now artfully adorned with pumpkins, several times a week.
November 4th, 2015 at 8:06 am
I may not always leave a post, but want you to know I read and enjoy them all! Such an enrichment to my life! I hope that’s doesn’t sound too corny.
November 4th, 2015 at 8:15 am
Thank you, Piper–much appreciated!
November 4th, 2015 at 8:38 am
Absolutely beautiful pictures of Salem.
Always enjoy reading your site.
November 4th, 2015 at 8:55 am
Thank you, Mary Jane!
November 4th, 2015 at 8:44 am
Great idea for a post! I was thinking of coming back on the 1st to take some photos but I was too worn out from photographing all day on Halloween. I’m glad you posted this! 11 more months of calm! I actually love Salem during the summer as well. It’s too bad people don’t appreciate the beauty of Salem all year round
November 4th, 2015 at 8:54 am
Well we do! Actually, tourism in Salem has become more multi-seasonal, I think. Lots of people here in the late spring and summer.
November 4th, 2015 at 10:56 am
I have really wanted to visit New England (in New York now) including Salem. When I went online for info, I was shocked by how much commercialization had occurred. I guess I expected to find one or two museums or things about the history of the Witch Trials. It did occur to me that Halloween must become frightful.I used to live in San Francisco, and Halloween was the biggest holiday of the year there, stretching on for an entire month.
November 4th, 2015 at 9:41 pm
I once worked in a graveyard in St Louis (long story) and the girl in the office (she was adorable and very superstitious which I thought was interesting when one is working in a GRAVEYARD!) very seriously told me that when we walk across the graves to make sure we walked across the peoples knees. She hated it if someone forgot and walked close to the headstone “not on their faces” or at the end “mind their toes” . I know this sounds funny but she was deadly serious. Loved that girl! VERY respectful. c
November 4th, 2015 at 9:43 pm
You’ve worked in such interesting places, Cecilia! Great story, and indeed, a very respectful girl.