Day Trips: Angel on the Wind

Angel on the Wind soars over the Land of Memory cemetery outside of Palestine like the hood ornament of a train bound for Glory.

Nicknamed "Heaven's Hood Ornament" by adoring fans, the chrome goddess brings a sense of motion to the field of headstones. The statue's windswept beauty adds an uplifting feeling to a place of sadness. The inspiration comes from Matthew 24:27-31: "And He will send His angels ... and they will gather together His elect from the four winds."

The upward-bound figure was created by Sean Guerrero in 1993 using recycled chrome-plated automobile parts. A Colorado resident, Guerrero is known for his chrome-bumper horse sculptures.

The soaring angel is not out of place in a memorial park that also has a wall with a mosaic of the Last Supper and a 10-foot-tall Jesus.

Perhaps it is the placement of the public art that has inspired local families to be creative when honoring their dead. Near the angel is a headstone in the shape of a football uniform. Young A.J has a John Deere tractor on top of his marker with his name spelled out in wooden-block shapes carved in the black marble. A couple has a photograph of the Idaho hall where they were married etched into their stone.

The markers range from the simple to the elaborate, but all are heartfelt. A stroll among the gravestones is a walk through a library of biographies each as unique as the person they memorialize.

The Angel on the Wind is in Land of Memory cemetery on Highway 287 about four miles west of Palestine. The park is open to visitors during daylight hours.

1,386th in a series. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.