I will share and experience i also had in a old Texas Cemetery I live in North Texas and have a friend in SC who had relatives buried in Central Texas where my sisters live I was going to visit them so my friend asked if I would go to thsi cemetery where she has family buried I said sure I am going to be there anyway Mind you I also thought that all if not most cemeteries where clean or at least accessible Well did my family get a shock We made a project of not only going there for my friend but decided since it was a small one I would inventory this while i was there. First of all it is located would you believe between a corn field and a dirt road. You barely could see the cemetery from the dirt road 2nd It was overgrown so bad with not only bushes but small trees and shrub and surrounded by a old rod iron rusted fence and barb wire (which was covered by the over brush we barely saw it. My 12 year old son said he would go first through the barb wire we held it for him and he started walking where he could then my daughter went through while she was trying to go through my son coming running back yelling SKUNK WE decided to wait a few minutes hoping he would go away. He finally after 15 minutes left (This was mid July and hot as the dickens) Then we went in some of the graves where so covered i could only jot down the info cause i could not take a photo some where ok to photograph we finally found the grave we where looking for in the very back of the small cemetery his gravestone was still there but leaning against a tree partially in the ground We dug barehanded and put the stone back in the ground to preserve it and take a photo On the way out my hubby stepped in a bed of ants but did not realize it cause he had pants on ' In a few minutes before getting out we all 4 where trying to get all the ants off him. He ended up with about 50 to 60 ant bites and ended up in the ER. He told me "You Owe me big time for this one" Aitn that the truth!!!!!! Overall it was a pleasant trip just 15 minutes from my home town. That was the first and only time my hubby has gone cemetery hopping with me. My kids go with me all the time they like the curiosity of finding the graves of the names I am looking for. I since that time carry a knife and scissors with me to cut through the brush. I know how lucky we where not know to have experienced what you did. I would have flipped out especially if it was one of my kids. Let this be a lesson to all to be very careful in overgrown anything! Especially in Texas with all the hot weather and snakes. The cemetery by the way was Punchard Cemetery in Bell Co TX. I wrote to the Texas Cemetery association to see if someone can clean that one up. One of the women buried there was a wife of a Capt in the CW. That stone listed their kids names a great find for someone related. Debra LaMel ----- Original Message ----- From: <gc-gateway@rootsweb.com> To: <TXHUNT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 10:45 PM Subject: Re: [TXHUNT] Hopewell and gaining strength through adversity > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Author: robbiethree > Surnames: > Classification: queries > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.texas.counties.hunt/2002.5.3.1.1.1/mb.ashx > > Message Board Post: > > Judi, > > I am, and have always been, a very girly-girl type, I was raised that > way... I do not like bugs most of all... but I am handling things on a > level far beyond my own expectations. > > I believe, working on this this little project of mine, has been one of > the hardest, most fool-hardy things I have ever done. And yet, it is > making me feel really powerful as a woman, I have never had to deal with > anything even remotely close to what I have encountered at Hopewell, and I > fully expected that I never would... I had no idea that places like this > even existed here in the United States... > > When I call it a jungle, I am not wrong. It is. > > However... BECAUSE I am doing things that I have never done before, seeing > things I have never seen, dealing with problems I never expected I would > ever have, and trying to do it all calmly... I am expanding the person > that I was, into the person that I never was aware I could be. > > This has been very hard... and because it was hard, it has been very > rewarding for me in that I never thought that I COULD. Sometimes I am > there and I hit a crying jag... but I stay, and I work it out... or I may > have bugs all over me and I have to scream a bit... but I get over it... > and I move on to that next transcription... that next photo... and I get > stronger... I KNOW that I am going to scream again... I KNOW that I am > going to have horrible bugs on me again...I KNOW that I am going to keep > seeing snakes... but I do it anyway - I keep going. This is my big thing > in life. I am a sissy-girl and yet I am forcing myself on because it is > important... > > This is not just about getting it all documented anymore. Not after > Wednesday... and the swarm of bugs... this is about becoming stronger. And > I am. And will continue to gain momentum in this aspect. > > I am not going to lie to you... I am frequently... I don't want to use the > word... but... horrified, with what I am seeing... and experiencing... but > I am growing. When I am done with this... I will know who I really am. > What I can do. And because of that... this has been very fulfilling work > for me... beyond anything else I have ever done. > > So, don't you feel sorry for me and the snake bite.. or anything else, > this is my challenge, and when I get old... I will remember that I did > this... and feel happy that I did something truly worthwhile. > > Hugs! > Robbie > :-) > > Important Note: > The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you > would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link > above and respond on the board. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TXHUNT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message