Being an old maker and setter of gravestones, I have a hard time passing a cemetery, especially old ones. It's great having a father-in-law buried in Arlington National, for instance -- did you know that there is an entire section there dedicated to "colored troops" and "colored people" from the Washington, DC area?

Or that slate was used in Nova Scotia for tombstones for the Loyalists who fled there after the American Revolution? Or have you ever seen an anvil with a broken hammer on it, all carved in stone, for the grave of an old-time blacksmith?

I HIGHLY recommend cemeteries as places to take a stroll. Usually shady and quiet, you can get some thinking done or, if nothing else, learn something about the history of the area.

By the way -- don't overlook the possibility that those orphans in the mass grave may have died as the result of a fire rather than a disease.