Memorial Day

The day dawned sultry...steamy...hot. 95 degrees out now at 3:30 p.m.

We had a 10:00 parade. A military color guard, the high school band, and quite a few boy scouts. I felt sorry for the band, although they were dressed smartly in shorts and matching orange t-shirts. The band led the crowd up the hill into the cemetery, where there was a short service. Always very moving.

We took a drive in the country to the Great Lakes National Cemetery. On the way...there was a small herd of horses with 6-7 little ones. The light was not great, but soooo cute. I put 1 shot on my flickr page, along with some swans at the cemetery, and a couple of shots of our grandson Merrick. In one shot...he appears with his daddy Doug.

The National Cemetery was hoppin. People everywhere. They reported on TV last night that there are now 15,000 soldiers buried there. It's hard to explain how a place can be both sad and serene at the same time. People visiting the dead brings out all sorts of emotion, but the beauty of the surroundings make you want to sit down, and listen to nature. The views are awesome, but then the starkness of the white grave markers slap you back to reality.

Click on LARGE too see the flags. Every grave had one.

Hope everybody had a great holiday, and if you're not in the U.S., hope you had a great Monday!