Comments | realdedanaan: This might be a bit morbid for some of you...

realdedanaan

This might be a bit morbid for some of you...

Nov 16, 2005 19:26

Behind the cut you'll find a photograph of my mum's headstone. It was my job to put it together with all of the elements the family wanted, because I'm the artist. It was hard to do. This is an perpetual memorial ( Read more... )

Comments 15

rhitroadkill November 16 2005, 17:48:59 UTC

Wow. I'd have you design mine if I were passing on that's for sure. What a lovely monument/tribute.

(and yeah, there's no way I would have gotten that first word pronounced right. ;-) )

realdedanaan November 16 2005, 18:16:43 UTC

Thanks!

As for the language, we only have 18 letters in the gaeilge alphabet, so we've got to be creative with our consonant combinations. For the record, there is no j,k,q,v,w,x,y,z in the Gaeilge alphabet. ^_^

a_hollow_year November 16 2005, 17:58:12 UTC

That's lovely.

realdedanaan November 16 2005, 18:10:39 UTC

Thank you!

aome November 16 2005, 18:00:53 UTC

I think it's a lovely tribute - little 'in jokes' like the "Chucky Our Da" make it far more personal than just the name/date stuff. And very pretty.

realdedanaan November 16 2005, 18:20:04 UTC

Thanks,

I'm sure a lot of people will scratch their heads at the Gaeilge and the words on the vases. We called my Mum 'our wee Ma' because she was only 4'11" as a young adult and about 4'9" in her later years, after she began to shrink.

madamsprout November 16 2005, 18:05:50 UTC

Karen, the stone is beautiful. I had a hell of a time with my mum's as well. You want the stranger strolling by to 'know' your mum, and they will. You, and your family did a wonderful job.

By the way, it's nice to "hear" from you again.

realdedanaan November 16 2005, 18:09:44 UTC

Hi Dee,

How are things going for you? I actually surfaced yesterday and posted the first piece of art I'd done in over six months. It felt good and I'm glad to be able to ease back a little into my old routine.

Glad you like the headstone. It is hard. You are right, you want to present your parents best face to the strangers who go by the headstone and you want to convey a little about them, not just their birth and death dates.

How did your trip across the pond go? Did you post any pictures on your journal at all? Did you enjoy yourself?

madamsprout November 19 2005, 19:39:28 UTC

Hi Karen,

Sorry to have taken so long in relying to your post...I've not been on-line lately. I had a wonderful time in Ireland. It was everything that I imagined it would have been. In fact, I would go back tommorrow if I had the money.

As for pictures I don't have many. This is the first photo of me in Ireland, Ballybunion:

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lilysnape November 16 2005, 18:59:23 UTC

Ooh what a great way to remember your Mom! :) The headstone looks beautiful nice job!