When I came home today, I found my activities had already been blogged by my playdate. So I figured I would give Violet's dad a guest spot here to share his well researched take on the afternoon...
Violet at the Necropolis
READER ADVISORY: This post has pictures of a baby in a graveyard and some jokes [abridged, ed.]
about graves and babies.Today, Violet and I visited
Mountain View Cemetary here in Oakland, one of the absolutely coolest places around. It was designed by
Frederick Law Olmstead, right after he designed Central Park (if you've been to New York City, Central Park is the big green area behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art). It is absolutely beautiful in a decrepit/shabby chic type of way and is filled with tons of famous people, like a Stanford or two and the Ghirardelli family, of chocolate fame.
My idea was that Violet could walk around on the grass and climb on people's mausoleums (
mausoleumae?) and have a generally good time. However, the grounds of Mountain View have seen better days, and there is scarcely a smooth walkway or flat expanse of grass in the entire place. Instead, roads are crumbling, stairs are moss-covered and tilted and most graves are on steep slopes. The effect of the whole place is fantastic for memoralizing dead people, but it's not such a good play area. Put that one in Olmstead's (admittedly small)
Failures column.
A little later, Violet was joined by Eliza B Van de Water, who brought her mom to come share a little playdate in the cemetery.
Since she's so young, one need not worry about her falling or tripping or anything, so anyplace is basically as good as any other. She appeared to enjoy herself in that "I'm not completely miserable" way very young children do.
Just a caveat to those who think this whole expedition is completely beyond the Pale: Mountain View has been around for decades and is considered by many to be akin to a public park here in Oakland. People regularly jog, ride their bikes, picnic and even walk their dogs through here. I mean, at least Violet and I had our legs covered! I did think a few times that it would be nice when I kick the bucket and am buried in the ground somewhere if some kids would come and play on my grave every now and then.
I was kicking up my heels to the music! 
Don't worry, I won't tell my mom and dad that I have figured out they can't carry a tune - I'll still play along like I enjoy their singing. I hope though, that I have inherited some musical genes from Grandpa Mike!
I was kicking up my heels to the music! 
Don't worry, I won't tell my mom and dad that I have figured out they can't carry a tune - I'll still play along like I enjoy their singing. I hope though, that I have inherited some musical genes from Grandpa Mike!
