This week’s Round Robin Photo Challenge is “Holy.” I took a trip a few months ago out to Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetary, a cemetary that dates back to the middle of the 19th century.

Many of the monuments feature elaborate designs, which suggest that many of those laid to rest there had lots of money. Indeed, the cemetary is the final resting place of U.S. presidents James Monroe and John Tyler, Civil War General J.E.B. Stuart, and former Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

There are many depictions of angels throughout the park. I think this one, which sits atop a family’s crypt, is one of my favorites.

It’s an incredible place to walk around and reflect on life, death and rebirth. If you’re ever in Virginia’s capital, and you’re interested in historic places, Hollywood cemetary is definitely a destination to consider.

This time around, it was my turn to come up with the topic for Carly & Karen’s Round Robin Photo Challenge, so I chose “Secrets.”

I recently went exploring around Richmond’s famous Hollywood Cemetery (no connection to Hollywood, California), a fascinating place with very old graves dating back to the early 19th century. More than 1800 Confederate soldiers are buried in this cemetery, as well as three U.S. Presidents.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “taking a secret to the grave.” Eventually, the graves themselves stop telling their tales, when time, weather and mold eventually wear away a gravestone. I’m sure there are records somewhere that indicate exactly who lies beneath this marker. But the absence of that information does make you wonder, doesn’t it?

And I can’t let this “Secrets” challenge go by without a quick trip down memory lane. I’ve always had dogs; my parents got me my first dog when I was almost a year old and we grew up together. She was a collie pup — not the collie pictured here — but a dog that taught me the power of the love of a four-legged friend. Years after that first dog died, I decided I wanted another collie — the one you see pictured below — and at the same time, we also had a Shih Tzu (correctly pronounced as “SHEED-zoo”) as our inside dog.

I walked the Emperor (which is undoubtedly what the Shih Tzu, Koko, considered himself to be) into the backyard one day, and my second collie, Skye, came over to say hello. I managed to snap a quick picture during this passing of some secret. What strikes me so funny is the intense expression on Koko’s face, as if he can’t wait to hear what happened next! This photo, incidentally, hung in the South Carolina State Fair that year — probably 1995 or so. It didn’t win (nor did I expect it to), but at least it went on display.

Here’s that picture, which still hangs on my wall:

Here are the other participants in the Round Robin Photo Challenge. Be sure to visit their journals as well.

Lahoma

Promise

Becky

Dorn

Karen

Betty

Carly

Mary

Sara

Debbie

Renee

Dorn

Celeste

Phinney

Marie

Maryanne

Robin