I have to say it. I'm a little disturbed that the Parks Department felt that it was okay to pluck a perfectly spry spruce tree from a cemetery - yes, a cemetery - to use as a Christmas tree in downtown Manchester.  Not just any cemetery, mind you, but the very cemetery where both my grandparents ...

Example of severely overgrown tomb down in the Valley.

A view across the Valley...I actually wound up climbing those steps.

This is what used to be known as the city tomb.  It's where they used to place the bodies of people who died in the middle of Winter when the ground had frozen solid.  Now it's where they store toppled grave stones.

This is a view of the Smyth tomb from down in the Valley.  A century ago there would have been a brook and gazebo just about in front of where I was standing that day...

I've read in the news about vandalism in the cemetery...yet, whenever I drive by at night...the gates are always open.  Seems to me someone isn't doing their job.  The last article I read said they had over 100 grave markers toppled...that's just wrong on so many levels.

These are the steps that lead back up from the Valley...they were a lot easier going down than getting back up!

A view of the Valley of Valley Cemetery from the Fredrick Smyth tomb.  A little daunting standing on the edge like that!

I had read of recent restoration efforts and how it used to be a "recreational" area.  My first thought was "how can a cemetery be recreational?"...but after taking the time to walk around, especially in the valley itself, I got it.  It's just unfortunate that it was neglected for so long.