Shun Piking our Way Down From Vermont

During our long drive back from northern Vermont, we chose to 'shun pike,' or take the small roads that wind along the rivers, farm fields, and little towns. We stopped at Royalston, where there was a large town square, and a row of little shops and cafes. What a picture perfect lovely town to sit for a spell.

We bought some lunch and then walked to a little cafe where they made us coffee, and introduced us to the iced maple-cino, a popular drink in Roylston. You put espresso in with ice and maple syrup then shake it up in a cocktail shaker. This produces the same froth we want in a latte...voila! a new drink for the GoNOMAD cafe.

An hour later we stopped in a country cemetary, and this made me think about graves and symbols. I spent endless hours as a child playing in a graveyard in my NJ hometown, and since a trip to Hollywood cemetary in Richmond VA, these symbols have intrigued me.

The broken column is a life cut short; as is the upside down torch. A leaning tree trunk is a short interrupted life, dsp means died without having children, and dvp signifies dying during the lifetime of one's father. Stones shaped liked Tree Stumps usually signify that the deceased was a member of The Woodmen of the World.
Weeping willow Tree means perpetual mourning; Grief, wheat strands or sheaves represent the divine harvest.