respublica

The last night with the boys

Christian and Connor will be up and out early tomorrow morning, heading back to Virginia.  Tonight we had great fried chicken picnic dinner from Porter's Fried Chicken on Big Bend in either Maplewood or Webster Groves.  Then we took one last walk around the campus.

Porter's Fried Chicken is quite good, so good we polished off a 20 piece bucket, an order of corn fritters and fries.

Along our walk we came upon the road that is no more.  The renovation process includes getting rid of part of that old road and adding pervious pavers for something of a place for people to sit and visit or celebrate.  Quite shocking to see this.

They then had to climb a wall.

And this 19 seconds of boys being boys.

What can happen when you text, read Facebook, email while driving

A man in Arkansas was driving behind a teen who was driving erractically.  He called the highway patrol but the driving got so bad he used his phone to film the teenager. 

The link has two of his videos of the accident which occured, the first is in real time, the second with subtitles to explain what was happening. 

Unbelieveable no one was seriously hurt in this.  Don't read, text, or answer email while you are behind the wheel, you don't realize how much time your eyes are off the road. 

The Illinois legislature never takes a day off

So it seems.  The Illinois House was even working on Memorial Day.  They voted to expand casinos and add slots to racetracks. 

The constantly amazing MSM

Will it ever cease to amaze how energetically the journalistic world investigates republicans, especially republican candidates for anything, but mostly ignores this zeal with democrats?

Today it's a long front page story on Mo congressman Todd Akin who's running for senate. 

 

Memorial Day in Collinsville 2011

Warm temperatures, blue skies, flags, and a parade to honor those who died in our nation's wars.

Roses under the flags at the American Legion.

Kids playing quietly before the parade

The flag memorial at the Legion.

Veterans lead the flag, carrying the colors

Battle of the Bulge

WWII

Desert vehicles

Then came Township officials

And the traditional end of parade, firetruck

Marching Kahoks in the Memorial Day parade 2011

Remembering

Memorial Day is for remembering those who died fighting for this country, a time of solemn observance and reflection on the courage it took to put on the uniform.  A time to give thanks for those who willingly put themselves in harm's way for us. 

My dad was a marine during WWII, serving in the Pacific Theater.  He came through unscathed, but as the war passed into the history books he showed a bit of impatience with all the emphasis on car races and picnics on Memorial Day.  He never wanted to put on his old uniform and march in a parade, he always seemed to me to feel unworthy in the face of those who died.  More than any other day he thought back on his marine buddies who did not make it home. And told the stories.

While my dad was off on one pacific island or other my mother became a nurses aid in the Chicago VA hospital, helping with military men who were wounded.  It was her way of serving while waiting.

Yesterday Lizzie took the boys to the cemetery where my parents are laid to rest.  The succeeding generations need to know and learn to understand what went before.

It's days like this I really feel the loss of my father, I wish he were here to tell the stories to Christian and Connor and Andrew.  He missed meeting his namesake great grandson, James Christian, by 6 months.  But Christian, Connor and Andrew will learn about him and his stories.

 

It was bound to happen

We all went to the Boathouse in Forest Park for dinner last night.  By all, I mean Dale and I, Lizzie, Darren, Christian, Connor and Darren's parents Duane and Yvonne. 

There was a continuous misty light rain all evening but we sat outside under umbrellas so it was quite pleasant.  The boys loved feeding and watching the ducks,

but we just knew by the end of the night this would happen.  And it happened to Connor.

 

 

Memorial Day parade in Collinsville

Tomorrow, Monday, the VFW will be hosting the Memorial Day program after the parade.  The parade begins at 10:30 from Wickliffe and Vandalia and ends at the VFW.  The program will be inside and a light lunch will be served following.

Here's a short video of the Marching Kahoks in last year's parade.

How about a look at some photos from 2005

And, 2006

Putting the boys to work

Christian and Connor were up before 6 this morning.  No paper reading today.  By 7:30 they were more than ready to get outside and do something so the MAtH got the wheelbarrow, pitchfork, two small garden shovels, the Gator and off we all went to the back alley.  There were woodchips piled high waiting to be spread across the part of the alley witout grass or concrete. 

Darren, Christian, Connor and Dale, all started to work.

Boys do like a job, really.  They do.

Pretty soon, though, Connor became more interested in climbing to the top of the mountain of chips than actually moving them.

Yes he can.  He can do it.

All right!

Meanwhile Christian decided he wanted to help me trim back the brush blocking the "secret stairs".  The MAtH began doing some hauling of fallen landscape so poor Darren got stuck moving the whole mountain of chips.  Christian liked the idea of opening up the 'secret stairs'.

We got those stairs open, a bit.  Those rails need a bit of paint, don't you think?  Maybe Monday.  What am I saying, small boys with Rustoleum?  Maybe not, the weathered look gives character.

Connor helped Darren with the wheelbarrow of chips.  Up and down the alley, up and down.

Fille it up, empty, repeat.

Where was Ferdie you ask?  Surely he was part of the work crew.  Well, yes he was until he just plain wore out and sunk down in the cool damp brush.

Aw.  My buddy.  So hot and tired.

Where was Lizzie?  She went joggling in Forest Park, got coffee at Kaldi's and then finished up with some shopping.  Got back around the time we finished working and were on a front yard baseball game.