Tuesday evening, at the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, Jim Davis invited a group of bikers planning a breakfast ride to Beaver Dam State Park but I couldn't remember the time they were meeting. I had emailed but did not get the message of the time until Saturday morning about a half hour before. We had a pleasant ride and beat the heat by making it early. I had never been to that park. One thing you got to understand about Illinois, it's really flat prarie but has a few hidden secret gardens like this park. There were humming bird feeders around the peir and resturant and we enjoyed watching them. I only put my feeder out in the fall because of the migration.
I got dressed and made it. It was lovely ride down there and very scenic. Worst thing that happened was the dead skunk in the middle of the road. There was a small restaurant adjoining the pier over the lake. There were many humming birds there. I was surprised because I only see them in the fall. I got home about 11AM and my son was still in bed. I still had time to do some house cleaning before he woke up. I told Alan I'd like to go to Camp Butler and explained that the morning ride had many flags decorating yards and that I shouldn't wait until Monday to put take the flowers to Camp Butler on his dad's grave. There were flags on all of the graves and many people doing the same as us.
Here's a funny picture that I took in a refrigerator at work. Apparently someone felt guilty about picking up someone's similar cup of carrots and wanted to pay back. There were 3 carrots there.
Sunday I went to church and found Jim drying his eyes after Mass. He stated that the song (America the Beautiful) gets him emotional. I suggested that he join our Catholic War Veterans. He is retired from the Air National Guard but thought he couldn't join because he'd never been in a war nor even left the states. I told him that the term 'war' was misleading. All that's required is Catholic and miliary.
I left around 12:30 for a graduation party in St Charles, MO. It was nice so I rode my motorcycle. I got a little sunburn on my rists despite long sleeves on a hot day. Allison DeRousse was a little baby in the next door adjoining driveway in our first home since my retirement and now look at her -- all grown and graduating high school. I was her confirmation sponsor.
Since I had seen so many memorial Day decorations in yards on the trip, I knew that the flowers that I got for my husband's grave would not be appropriately placed on memorial Day 2 days from then so I got my son and we placed them there.
My email address sent out "work at home" Spam sometime over Sunday night so I changed my password. I'm not the only one however. I've received it from others too. I did get a nice email Monday morning that my picture was in the paper.
One comment I got was "nice picture; everyone else, as the "old sarge" used to say, is looking for Indians!" Later my friend Linda Crites, who can be seen in the background came forward by my side and shook hands with the returning veterans. She's a real cheer leader.
Memorial Day I got up at 6AM and by 6:10 I was out in the public square placing my 3 by 5 flags. I came home and showered and walked the dogs then got in my American Legion wear for the honor guard early for the 10AM ceremony. I was also surprised to see Sen Sam McCann there because his district is so wide and there are so many activities on this memorial day but he chose to attend Chatham's ceremony. I asked him why here and he told me he felt a lot of support here. During the ceremony there was an announcement that there would be a dedication of a memorial bench for KIA Chad Young at 11:30. His Gold Star parents were at both ceremonies. It was a fine black granite-like bench with his picture on it. His parents are there in the background of this. Jerry Young told me he would have loved to have had this 'Made in America' but couldn't find all the specifications he wanted for it. It was made in Indonesia and he paid about $1800. The Chatham Clarion (a local paper that I don't get because it has too much student info) wrote that the bench was paid by Jaycees and Legion. However, the bench faces new safe playground equipment that those organizations supported. The park was renamed from West Part to Chad Young Park.
I came home and took the motorcycle to Camp Butler NC for a ceremony there. I knew that parking would be tight. My son and the staff of the Vet Center were there. Boy it was hot. Many familiar faces there and Grace Miller from our Womens Overseas Service League said the prayer.
At 4PM I got back in my car with the flags in the trailer hitch mount and headed to a retreat ceremony at the DAV on Lake Springfield. As I went over the bridge, I could see someone in a boat wave at me and the flags waving as I crossed the bridge. I waved back but not sure if they could see a caged driver. I carried the left Springfield on the flag detail. I had the trigger facing in the wrong direction but waited for a command before I could correct its direction. After the ceremony we had sloppy joes and fixin's. I was invited on a pontoon ride but I insisted it be a short ride because I had to get back to Chatham and take home the flags I left in the square. There were 2 others that joined this ride, a youth and Fred from AL Post 809. Fred said it made his day. The pontoon ride was like a mini-trip. I spread my arms as we flew across the lake just like Rose did in the Titanic movie. We went thru the Lindsey Bridge and our boat owner showed us an island where there's an eagles nest. Because of the foliage we couldn't see it but that was very interesting tidbit.
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