On outer burial containers..

A lot of people want to know the differences between outer containers
that would house a casket upon it's burial. 

The majority of cemeteries now require some type of container to put
the casket in. Briefly...here is the difference.

First, the concrete box or chest as it most frequently called.
The chest is basically just a concrete box with a lid that is placed
on it after the casket is lowered into it. It may have a slight 'groove' on
the chest where the lid rests. However, on most chests there is no
sealant or gasket of any kind placed between the two pieces...
the result....if the grave is wet or in a place under ground water is
present.. there is a chance water could enter the unit and enshroud
the casket. And, once water enters the unit, there is no way for it
to escape. So: the chest's main purpose is to protect the casket
from crushing by the earth when the grave is back filled... and also
keeps from crushing the casket over the years as the ground settles
or other work is done near the grave site by cemetery workers with
tractors etc. 

Second; the burial vault. The burial vault usually refers to a concrete
or steel burial unit that has at least a lining of some type inside the
concrete...and some type of sealant material between the unit and
the cover itself... once the lid is lowered into it's 'tounge and groove'...
the sealant is pushed out...closing the gap. Most burial vault companies
have guarantees on their burial vaults, saying they will not allow
any water into the unit to damage and casket and the body.
I've found out over the years... most people want to have a good
vault. Most people want their loved one's bodies protected, and the
casket that the body is in.

I have done a few exhumations over the years, and have found that
the burial vault is the best buy by far.

Your local funeral director can help you pick out the right
container for your families needs.. and will show you the
features of both. 

This is just one of the many questions I get asked when I go out to
do a presentation on the book, Undertakings. Hope this has helped
you to some degree!

A huge, huge audience...

600,000.....the average listening audience of the Thursday night program

Writers' Block on L.A. Talk Radio.....

Can't wait to be on the air with these folks...the program is at

10 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific...and you can log on and

listen to it live.

Looking forward to speaking with Jim Christina and his co-host

for the night...hope you'll join us as well!

You can copy and paste the web address below:

 http://www.latalkradio.com/content/writers-block


And if you missed my 'visit' with Rod Serling two weeks ago...

scroll down for the story....it was an incredible trip to

Interlaken, N.Y. 

Visiting Rod Serling.....

I'd been planning the trip for sometime now...an hour and one half from Loon
Lake here in Cohocton....but the drive was well worth the discovery.

Rod Serling's grave site in Interlaken, N.Y.  was an experience, let me tell you.

When I was a mile out, the anticipation grew, I was hoping I would not have
difficulty finding the spot, but the map I had spelled out the location pretty
well.

Driving thru the gate and meandering thru to section G reminded me of many
funerals I have had over the years....the quiet, the peaceful surroundings...
being anxious to get to the right place.  The last turn to section G where he
is buried had some pretty good washouts, but my car handled them easily,
and I pulled over and parked. Grabbing my camera and tripod, I headed up
the slight incline to where the map indicated where he rested....

I found rows of markers with death dates of the 90s', then the 80's...then
I hit the 70's and I knew I was very very close.  Within thirty feet, a grave
that looked a little 'busy' with things around the stone jumped out at me.

As I walked up to the the grave, I was actually overwhelmed.  Here he was.
Rod Serling, master of the short story, creator of the world famous
Twilight Zone, followed by Night Gallery. Wow. I was finally here.

I had followed him and Alfred Hitchcock for years...enjoying their stories
and most of all, their surprise endings to their stories. I have mentioned both
writers on the back cover of my new book Tales Unleashed coming out this
fall. 

As I knelt down to inspect Rod's simple 12 by 24 grave marker...I could tell
that he has not been forgotten. Many who traveled here before me left little
tokens, coins, photographs of Rod.  It's so pleasurable to know that others
have made the journey here before me... just to experience this guy and
the talent that he had. But what a short life, just 50. How much more could
he have written if he had lived to 70, 80 and beyond?

A flag also was present..he served in the Army, WW2. He had received
several medals during service in the Pacific. 

So in the quiet, I sat my tripod, took some photos, spoke a few words to
this man, thanking him for his stories, in inspirations, and for his service
to the country. 
Wikipedia has an excellent long biography of Rod. You should go there
sometime and read it. He had many

many talents indeed.

As you know, Serling was a big smoker...the following explained that
and his death:

Serling was said to smoke 3-4 packs of cigarettes a day. On May 3, 1975, he had a minor heart attack and was hospitalized. He spent two weeks at Tompkins County Community Hospital before being released. A second heart attack two weeks later forced doctors to agree that open-heart surgery, though considered risky at the time, was in order. The ten-hour-long procedure was performed on June 26, but Serling had a third heart attack on the operating table and died two days later at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. He was 50 years old. His funeral and burial took place on July 2 at Lake View Cemetery, Interlaken, (Seneca County), New York.

His grave site is easy to find, and is lot G, plot 1044. He has a simple 12” by 24” headstone.

Contributing factors to his early death included the fact that he was a very heavy smoker,

his favorite being Chesterfield ‘long’ cigarettes. He endorsed the brand and was rarely seen

without a cigarette in his hand, even while introducing some of his TV episodes. 

I wasn't at his grave site too awfully long. I almost felt like an intruder into this

space, a quiet and serene place....you could here a pin drop. 

Thanks Rod. Perhaps I'll go back there another day. If you find yourself in the

Fingerlakes of New York, direct your car to that gate. It's a place that is indeed

where your imagination can abound, where time itself slows to a halt...it's

a place where the Twilight Zone has come to rest. SS

Remembering...

Today, Sept. 11th, we remember the almost 3,000 people who lost their
lives in the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and those
lost diverting flight 93 into a field in remote Pennsylvania.

May they all rest in peace. It's hard to believe it was 17 years ago on
such a beautiful September morning that the attacks occurred.

More and more abandoned cemeteries...

It's a shame, but each year more and more cemeteries around the country are being

abandoned.  There are several reasons for it. Many cities and towns just don't have the

money or the man power to keep them up. Mowing, clearing brush, re-setting stones

that have toppled because of weather, age and/or vandalism takes time and money.  

Especially this is becoming epidemic in rural areas around the country. Few young

people want to 'step up' to help in maintaining the final resting place for those who

have gone before.  Maybe we should collectively start a new national campaign or

group to address the problem.. what do you think?  Is there an abandoned cemetery

or two near where you live?  You can leave a comment below if you wish, I'd love

to hear from you.  The picture above is of the Bayside-Acacia Cemetery in Queens.

Already two years ago..

Wow. Where does the time go? It's amazing, truly amazing indeed.

Wasn't the fourth of July like yesterday? Speaking of amazing...

below is a repeat of a broadcast I did with Ron Hood, host of

Ron's Amazing Stories....and if you didn't hear it when it was

first broadcast, it's still out there on the web...I've put the link

here, you can copy and paste it into your browser and give a

listen.  http://ronsamazingstories.com/size/5/?search=stanley+swan

Coming up in about 3 weeks! a return to LA Talk Radio and the

Writers Block program...I'll post the link here and you can listen

to it live ...it's Thurs. eve Sept. 27th...10 p.m. Eastern time....

Should have fun with that one, it has 3 hosts!