Only in Wyoming...

Unloading Headstones at South Fork

With every job I have taken in my life, there is something that I notice. There are those that know what they are doing, and those who don't. I have met my share of managers who knew little to nothing about the job that I had in the company. A good king will be one that had at one point put his shoulder into the sickle and sweat with the rest of the serfs.

There is a difference between an architect that designs buildings and one that worked in construction before he became an architect. Not only will the latter will be more mindful of the restraints imposed by the materials available, he will be able to exploit those restraints to bring about new possibilities.

I am not a manager or a king, but I wanted to apply the same understanding to my business. The only way I will be successful as a graphic designer is if I get involved with the applications for which my graphics are being used. I have been lucky enough to work with Bott monument here in Riverton, Wyoming. The shop foreman is passionate about craftsmanship and quality, and he is a very good teacher. I watch him do everything from sandblasting stencils and scoring granite to how he sets the headstone on the foundation in the cemetery. Let's just say that I have a lot to learn.

Recently I have got to go with Allen on trips to set headstones. Riverton is in the middle of the state of Wyoming, so Bott gets a lot of business in the rural cemeteries. I love visiting these cemeteries. This past week I got to visit a very unique cemetery. It is located out at South Fork Canyon about an hour southwest of Cody. It was a true old fashioned cemetery. Walking into it felt like stepping back in time. I found some very unique monuments there...monuments that I could very well say exist only in Wyoming:

This was a real cowboy cemetery! A cattle skull, a nameplate made of barbed wire, a branding iron, and antlers! I loved it! There was a lot of personality and flair.

Cumulonimbus from the road outside Cody. One of the things I love about Wyoming.