Guest on the 8/27/25 show, Tui Snider shares a set of photos from her travels to various cemeteries.
Pictured above: #1) A Colorful Reminder in Romania -- Standing in Romania’s Merry Cemetery, I found myself surrounded by bright blue crosses, folk-art portraits, and playful epitaphs that celebrate life even in the shadow of death. I’d dreamt of visiting this place for years, and it was even more vibrant, human, and full of hope than I imagined.
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2) The Alien, the Tree, and a Texas Mystery -- On the left, the whimsical headstone for “Ned,” the space alien said to have crash-landed here in Aurora, Texas, in 1897 (decades before Roswell). I captured this photo just before the marker was stolen in 2012. On the right, a nearby oak with a bent limb that might be a trail marker tree. A retired firefighter secretly carved Ned’s marker, and now I’m chasing new clues connecting this grave, the tree, and hidden local history.
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3) Blessing from Bastet -- As the sun set behind the Great Pyramids, a stray cat leapt onto a ledge and posed for me in the golden light. In ancient Egypt, the west bank of the Nile was linked to death. But here, in this moment, life and history merged. It felt like a blessing from Bastet, the cat goddess herself.
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4) A Phoenix in the Land of the Dodo -- On the Isle of Mauritius, I finally found what I’d long hoped to see in a cemetery: a phoenix! Hidden on a fallen marble cross in the grass, this rare resurrection symbol was carved for a British soldier. As flying fox bats soared overhead and bright red foudies flitted nearby, this hidden phoenix reminded me why cemeteries are places of life as much as death.
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5) Memento Mori, “Voodoo,” and Stray Dogs -- Also on Mauritius, these skull-and-crossbones headstones caught my eye. This memento mori (Latin for “remember your death”) imagery is a classic reminder that life is fleeting. Local historian Matthew Coomber explained that those dark smears on the stones come from melted wax, remnants of “voodoo” offerings. Meanwhile, the pack of stray dogs trailing us through the cemetery definitely hoped we’d leave behind a chicken carcass or two. It was a vivid reminder that cemeteries are living places as much as spaces of memory, ritual, and hope.