Halloween, Graveyards, and an Eerie Occurrence

Since today was Halloween and and weatherman promised a dry and clear day, I took my promised ride to the South Yamhill Cemetery. What better way to spend All Hallows Eve?
    Today started out absolutely stunning. The sun shone bright, the autumn colors were at their height, and everything was scented with fresh rain.  It was heavenly. I quickly made it to the cemetery with little trouble. I stopped to take this photo to prove to you just how beautiful the trees are right now.

 

For the first time, the cemetery was actually open. Usually I have to sneak around a chain across the road. I wonder if they specifically opened the cemetery just for Halloween? It wasn't open on Saturday, which would seem like a more realistic time to open it to visitors.

     Today I brought a handy little gadget that I picked up on Ebay for $40. It is a little Dano word-processor by Alphasmart. I thought it would be perfect for writing when I take little trips on my bike. It is small, light, and it fits perfectly in my little backpack. It also has a long battery life and it transfers my documents straight over to my laptop when I am done. It is extremely spiffy.

     I am always amazed at how much the cemetery can change in just a few days.  The beautiful leaves had already fallen off the biggest tree.

 

     The bare tree adds a creepy mood to the graveyard. It seems like winter is sneaking up on us.

     Speaking of eerie, check out these mushrooms! I love the black one.

     In the midst of the dead and decaying leaves, I did find a wonderful surprise. It was an abrupt reminder that even when surrounded by death, life will flourish. Look at these vibrant purple flowers that popped up around a grave.

After taking all my photos, I decided to get down to work and start writing. Wanting to be inspired by my adopted ghostly muse, I left an autumnal offering at the grave marker of Joseph Houck.  I hope he likes the baby pumpkin.

    In return, I slipped the little rock back in my pocket that I had left as an offering on his gravestone a few weeks ago. I had a reason for this; it has to do with my little ghost story that I am writing.

     I then sat down next to the marker and pulled my word-processor out. I spent the next two hours planning the plotline for my ghost story. I am pretty excited about it. It of course will include both my ghostly muse and the gravestone that sits next to him. 

This gravestone is completely unmarked. I can't find any information about it. But my imagination has run wild with speculation. This little grave marker will play a huge part in my ghost story.

    The minute I finished writing and decided that I should start to head home, the weather changed. As I put on my bike helmet, the sun disappeared behind a dark cloud and the air chilled. I shivered, and hopped on my bike. 

     As I left the boundaries of the cemetery, it started to rain. At first it just sprinkled, but the further I went from the cemetery, the harder it poured. Soon I was biking through torrential rain.

     That is when I decided that karma was getting even with me. I had stolen the rock that I had left as an offering a few weeks ago. I guess replacing it with a new offering was not good enough to appease the nasty weather.  I got back to my house seven miles later completely drenched and frozen.  

     I was selfish too, I didn't return the rock. It is sitting in a box in my bedroom along with Teddy Bear. Don't be surprised if some of this winds up in the the ghost story  :D