Self-Portrait in Dorothy Mae Feldman’s Tombstone

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I visited the Old Kernville Cemetery in Wofford Heights, California. (To read about my visit, go here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2015/05/29/old-kernville-cemetery/.)

At the edge of the cemetery farthest from the entrance, almost up against the boundary fence (which you can see in this photo, just past the tombstone), I happened upon the grave of Dorothy Mae Feldman. The inscription on the tombstone, as well as the reflective surface of the stone, caught my attention. Wow! That Dorothy Mae must have been some woman! I wish I could have known her. I hope people have such warm and kind feelings about me when I am gone. (And by “gone,” I mean “dead,” not just in another geographic location. Although it would be nice if people think well of me when I’m out of state, too.)

I stooped down to take a photo of the tombstone, with that lovely portrait of Dorothy Mae and that loving inscription, and realized I could see myself as well as if I were in front of a mirror. For a moment, Dorothy Mae and I were part of the same world.

About Blaize Sun

My name is Blaize Sun. Maybe that's the name my family gave me; maybe it's not. In any case, that's the name I'm using here and now. I've been a rubber tramp for nearly a decade.I like to see places I've never seen before, and I like to visit the places I love again and again. For most of my years on the road, my primary residence was my van. For almost half of the time I was a van dweller, I was going it alone. Now I have a little travel trailer parked in a small RV park in a small desert town. I also have a minivan to travel in. When it gets too hot for me in my desert, I get in my minivan and move up in elevation to find cooler temperatures or I house sit in town in a place with air conditioning I was a work camper in a remote National Forest recreation area on a mountain for four seasons. I was a camp host and parking lot attendant for two seasons and wrote a book about my experiences called Confessions of a Work Camper: Tales from the Woods. During the last two seasons as a work camper on that mountain, I was a clerk in a campground store. I'm also a house and pet sitter, and I pick up odd jobs when I can. I'm primarily a writer, but I also create beautiful little collages; hand make hemp jewelry and warm, colorful winter hats; and use my creative and artistic skills to decorate my life and brighten the lives of others. My goal (for my writing and my life) is to be real. I don't like fake, and I don't want to share fake. I want to share my authentic thoughts and feelings. I want to give others space and permission to share their authentic selves. Sometimes I think the best way to support others is to leave them alone and allow them to be. I am more than just a rubber tramp artist. I'm fat. I'm funny. I'm flawed. I try to be kind. I'm often grouchy. I am awed by the stars in the dark desert night. I hope my writing moves people. If my writing makes someone laugh or cry or feel angry or happy or troubled or comforted, I have done my job. If my writing makes someone think and question and try a little harder, I've done my job. If my writing opens a door for someone, changes a life, I have done my job well. I hope you enjoy my blog posts, my word and pictures, the work I've done to express myself in a way others will understand. I hope you appreciate the time and energy I put into each post. I hope you will click the like button each time you like what you have read. I hope you will share posts with the people in your life. I hope you'll leave a comment and share your authentic self with me and this blog's other readers. Thank you for reading.  A writer without readers is very sad indeed.

One Response »

  1. Great photo! Love the observation that you are reflected in the tombstone.

    I spent a lot of time in that area when I was younger and loved it. I haven’t been there in probably 25 years; I hope it’s still the cool place I remember (although I’ve been sorely disappointed when I’ve gone back to any place in CA that I grew up with). My aunt had a little one room cabin with an outhouse up on Greenhorn Mountain and we also used to camp and fish at Lake Isabella and the Kern River, both above and below the lake.

    If this is the area you’re spending the summer in, I envy you! 🙂

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