Texas Pit Stop: Ghosts, Graves & Good Company
Cemetery picnic, ghost tour, and a reader note—as Italy beckons!
Hi friends!
After traveling all winter, Larry and I are back in Texas— but it’s merely a pit stop… Soon we fly to Italy where I’ll be a cemetery symbolism guide again! (Want to join us? There’s one spot left!)
Also, somewhere between now and Italy, my newest cemetery book (Buried America: Dallas–Fort Worth) comes out.
Meanwhile, between all the fun and chaos of reconnecting with family and friends, I’m still swirling between my suitcase and a daily routine... 🌪️ 🤪
Here’s what I’ve got for you in this edition of Tui’s Travel & Tombstones:
📌 In This Newsletter
• Oakland Cemetery Spring Picnic
• Review: Arlington Ghost Tour
• Reader email: Graveyard Journal
🌿 Oakland Cemetery Spring Picnic
Oakland Cemetery’s 6th Annual Spring Picnic was amazing!
Between the sunshine, the food (including cemetery honey and mustang grape jam), and the chance to connect with fellow taphophiles, it was such a truly special day.
Events like this always remind me how wonderful this community is. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table to say hello!
👉 Read more (and see photos): Dallas Oakland Cemetery Picnic
👻 Review: Arlington Ghost Tour
I was recently invited by US Ghost Adventures to take a haunted history tour in Arlington, Texas. It turned out to be a fun mix of local history, storytelling, and just enough spooky atmosphere to make it memorable.
Plus, much to my delight, the tour included visits to two wonderful historic cemeteries!
If you’ve ever wondered whether these ghost tours are worthwhile, you can check out my review here: Arlington Ghost Tour (The company hosts ghost tours ALL over the USA, not just Texas.)
📚 Reader email: Graveyard Journal
First off: I’m a journal junkie!
I’ve always loved them: dream journals, idea journals, travel journals, art journals… if it involves writing things down, I’m all in. As a writer, I’m constantly taking notes, capturing details, and trying to hold onto those fleeting moments that might otherwise slip away.
So it’s probably no surprise that I eventually created one of my own: the Graveyard Journal, designed as a companion for recording the stories, symbols, and discoveries found in historic cemeteries.
Even so, I really wasn’t sure if other folks would ever use it. But much to my delight, several cemetery gift shops now carry it, and I just sent another shipment to the National Museum of Funeral History. (And yup—it’s on Amazon, too, where it has 45 reviews!)
Then a few days ago, I received a lovely email from a reader named Tiffany Bowdler. Turns out that Tiffany owns four of these journals. What a surprise out of the blue!
We had a nice little back-and-forth, and she kindly gave me permission to share her message and that great photo of her visiting Anne Rice’s mausoleum in New Orleans as you can see in the graphic above.
Pretty cool, eh? Makes me smile to think of Tiffany jotting down notes about that visit in her journal. Really lifted my spirits!
Ciao for now!
That’s it for now. I’ll send another newsletter at the start of May. Maybe by then I’ll actually feel like I’m home? Or at least be packed for Italy? I really dunno…
Until then: keep wandering, keep wondering, and keep taking notes! ~Tui 💜🪦