Ivory, Dorcas, Prudence.....Migis Lodge's spirited neighbors.
I spontaneously stepped on the brakes (my take on 'stopping to smell the roses') on this beautiful Casco day, my attention drawn to this most common of Maine sights, a little cemetery. Perhaps it's the Halloween week that drew me to it, perhaps the abundant sunshine as the leaves, well, leave, opening up views. And we also had a touch of la Dia de Los Muertos at our recent closing dinner at Migis, which got me thinking.
Oh, I could visit that cemetery up by Mayberry Hill! Oh, that one on Quaker Ridge! Oh, that one on 302...............NO. Wait. That one right here, practically in our backyard. Depending on who you ask, it's the Dingley...or Manning...Cemetery, circled below.
If you go visit the ballfield, or take a run down Raymond Cape Road, or are staying at Moose Point, Ledges or Cliffside cottages, you are right there. Take the Tallwood fork in the road, and it's on your left, tucked away in the woods.
Oh, the stories!
How about Sarah here? She was so close to that 100 mark! Do you think she was always here in Casco?
And Mary here, sort of off by herself. What gives, Mary?
And the nameless tiny ones, sprinkled sadly among their families. Life was not easy.
And the wonderful names! Dorcas, Royal, a gentleman with the first name of Frost, a Sumner here and there, Ivory, Prudence, Mehitable, Abner, Ephraim, Persis....and look at this one! Over in the Murch cemetery around the corner.
Isn't that just the best?
And the familiar Maine surnames. I am not a native, though my three children were born in Maine. But I find comfort in these networks of people in the stores, the classrooms, the churches, on the school bus, and seeing those names here still as they have been so many generations gives me a sense of continuity. Pike, Shane, Edwards, Dingley, Murch, Watkins, Dyke, Manning, Meserve, Skinner, McConkey, Proctor, Nutting, Maines, Merrill, Libby, Varney, Lombard, Shaw, Carter, Mayberry, Crockett........and I just learned there are about 20 little cemeteries in Casco. Fascinating to wander through.
There's one more spirit I'd like to greet this week. He's not in the little cemetery, but near it on the Migis property, in a place "he liked a lot". Gene left us long ago at this time of year, and I like to think of him watching over us from this vista.
Have a spirited Halloween! If you call us this week (207-655-4524) and the phone is a bit sporadic, we're either moving to the Big City office (Portland) or we have our feet up eating leftover candy. What do I hear for a little Bit o' Honey?
Mary
