Tree Shaped Tombstones - A New Road, a New Discovery

The route to and from the new deer hunting land takes me down roads I've never traveled before.  I mean that literally, not figuratively.  They traverse some wild and lonely parts of the back woods.  So I'm consulting my map program periodically, and while doing so I noticed a little country church.  Anah Emmanual Church, some five miles east of Spooner, Wisconsin.

I didn't have much in the way of expectations regards "Tree Shaped Tombstones".  The church was only built in 1909, past the heyday for these monuments.  But there ya go, a dainty little example of the "rugged cross" variant.  The interesting thing is....its only a few years old!  So somebody out there is making new versions that are close enough to the 19th century originals to fool my well trained eye.  Good for them.

A closer look.  Sorry 'bout the lighting, chance finds rarely happen during the pre-sunset "golden hour".  And for that matter, with gravestones traditionally facing east, anything I encounter late in the day is likely to be back lit.

I don't usually pay much attention to more pedestrian monuments, but this one caught my eye:

I assumed Country Ray was a nick name, and that he was a bit of a character.  Well, I appear to have been half right!  Rest in Peace Country Salquist.