The sun had risen to her zenith, mercilessly scorching the landscape beneath her. Flowing through the trees and gravestones, the wind was a much kinder companion on that hot August day. Obelisks, crowned with serene women draped in marble and archangels armed with spears, peered over the mossy hills. They stood like guardians of the overworld, ne'er letting a live, unready, sinful soul pass into the awesomeness beyond before its time. Beneath these monuments crouched sprites and cherubs that adorned the bulkier tombstones, remembering the engraved name long after it had faded from sight and the inconstant memory of man.

A cloaked figure, barefoot and somber, walked among these hunched stones with memories of her own. She paused every now and again, touching one, caressing another, greeting every small angel by name. Her ice blue eyes fell upon a tomb carved with a knight's cross. There she knelt and looked lovingly, sadly, upon its rough stone. Trembling, she reached to kiss the grave with her delicate white hand. The tomb was cold beneath her fingertips. Enboldened she embraced the edge of the gravestone, her head leaning on the red folds of her blouce. Breaking through the leafy branches, the sun streamed onto the girl's mournful eyes which glinted with tears that would not leave their sanctuary. A strand of hair fell across her brow as the wind comforted her.

"Jill, can you push that back so you're not in shadow?"

She glanced up and pushed back. the strand

"Thanks." *click* "Oh that was brilliant! Right, let's try another picture at that gazebo. You done, Damon?"

Yes, friends, today Jill and I made an escapade into a gorgeous graveyard situated in Framingham. We dressed up in dark garnet reds and traversed the knolls and hills of the cemetary with my digital camera in hand. It was simply the most artistic and inspiring day I've had in quite a while. Jill absolutely speaks to the camera and I adore photographing. Then once Jill got behind the camera and I in front she tackled the job with quite a flare.

Nearly a quarter of the way into the trip another photographer that we had seen at a distance approached and asked us what we were up to. We explained and he asked if he could tag along and take pictures of us as well. We agreed. Both of us were a little nervous about this, but Damon seemed like a decent enough guy. He was kind of quiet, but not scarily so.

We took nearly 104 pictures, most of them of Jill, all of them beautiful. I'll have them posted on the web hopefully by tomorrow, maybe by Monday seeing as I also plan on sending out Lizzie's present by then.