Friday, January 9, 2009

Decaying Beauty

I have a fascination with old. I see beauty in things well-worn. During a rushed 25 minutes at the oldest cemetery in New Orleans, St. Louis #1, I snapped more than 60 photos as my sisters, mother, nieces and I RAN between the tombs, trying to take it all in before they locked the gates for the day. We had arrived 5 minutes before closing and weren't even sure they'd let us inside. A very kind maintenance man not only allowed us to enter, but he took us on a 20 minute tour, repeating the tour guide spiels that he'd heard throughout his days sweeping the walk. The xxx-marked tomb of Marie Laveau was our first stop with Mayor "Dutch" Morial's burial place right next door! We observed open vaults and crumbling graves, headless statues and intricate wrought iron fences. It was the highlight of my day! A few of my favorite photos:







4 comments:

Petunia said...

Great pictures! The first one is pretty with the sun shining down through the trees.

Susan Stringfellow said...

I always love your cemetary and buildings. These are just amazing. The fences and the moss are some of my fave bits.

Heidi Smith said...

Beautiful pics Madeline! I always love seeing your photography of NOLA.

Lisa said...

These are wonderful photos of New Orleans! I am missing it today as my travelling buddy arrived there last night and called me to tell me to get my butt down there!! I love this city!