Fun as a Find A Grave Volunteer

Today I was able to go the Mesa City Cemetery and take some pictures I had claimed on Find a Grave.  I really do enjoy the opportunity it gives me to help someone else.  This was only my second time to take pictures for someone else.  I had 6 requests, 5 from the site and one sent to me privately.  I wish I could say I found them all but I can't.  I even went back to the area it was suppose to be a second time and still didn't find it.


The graves with the flags is the one I was looking for

So bright and early this morning after my work out at the gym I went to the cemetery armed with my camera, my copy of the cemetery map of block numbers and my list of request.  Before I went I checked out the cemetery website to gain some insight on how to find graves.  It was helpful information and did made things easier.  I also highlighted the blocks I was looking for and numbered my requests in the order I had plan to search them out. 

The fun thing was how closed I parked to the area I needed.  On two of the stones I was looking for the number marked of the area and I looked down and there was the grave stone I needed.  Above is a picture of my car and one of the graves I was looking for was this close, it is the one with the two flags.  I guessed right on to the area I needed to look.  This is an older part of the cemetery so there are a lot of trees.  I was also very lucky that the area I was working at was not being watered while I was there.  I was suddenly surprised when I heard the sprinklers come on right across from where I was.  

After I was home again I was looking at the pictures I took and noticed dirt on the grave stones, today's were all flat.  So the next time I am going to take a little dust broom with me to clean the stones off before I take a picture.  Today I had to take them all looking at the stones upside down because the sun was to my back and would have casted a shadow over the stones.  Aren't computers wonderful where we can rotate pictures so they are right side up?  The other thing I have decide is during the summer I need to go right at 7 AM when the gates open because it was getting very hot when I was there between 9 & 10 AM.

I would recommend to any one who hasn't volunteered to do so, it is very satisfying and much appreciated.