Category Archives: Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2020

We take time to stop and remember the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom. Some gave all. This is Memorial Day. This weekend we remember those who served our country and died in combat. The following photo was taken at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Shelter those who’ve come and gone.
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who reached the arms of God.

Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Cover those who left their homes
To rest in fields here, side by side,
Lest we forget their sacrifice.

Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

Written by Lowell Alexander, Orrin Hatch, and Philip Naish.

Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:7 (NRSV)

IMGP7117This is the Veterans Memorial at the Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California.

IMGP7115

IMGP7120There were many sobering monuments at Riverside National Cemetery.

May we all take some time to remember those who died in service to our country.

The State of our Yard

I took all the photos in the collages on Memorial Day.

The magic of digital photography in avoiding the weeds and making spaces look better. Oh me oh my, we do have weeds galore.

On Tuesday we had the pad for Dear’s shop prepped and what a lot of work it is to get the ground ready for the cement slab. We had excavators, dump trucks and a huge roller on the property working from 7:30 am until 3:30 pm. The material that they dug up to begin with was dumped into our empty pond shell. Win, win. They also took some of our rock away for another family at church who can use it. A very productive day! I’ll feature a whole post on the beginning of this project but here is one photo from Tuesday.

The roller was huge and the vibrations from it shook the whole house.

Hope the last week of May is filled with good things for all of you!

Hello and Shoo!

Last Friday we were mowing the lawns in the morning and were in a rush to finish up before the rains came. We put all the equipment away and later in the evening we noticed a deer in the yard. We have never had deer in the backyard because it is totally fenced off. We realized we had forgotten to close the gate in the back where we have started a compost pile on the other side of the fence.

The deer seemed quite delighted with all the new things in our yard that it could nibble on.

When the deer began to eat our clematis it was time to shoo it away.

My Dear had to go out and scare the unwelcome deer back to the gate and out of the yard.

We secured the gate again and the deer went off to wherever the deer go in the evening.

It’s been nice having a relatively secured back area but today Dear took down 40 feet of our fence in the front because we are having a space prepared for his future shop to be built on. I might be chasing more unwelcome deer away from our clematis, soon.

If you look through the tree you’ll see the fence sections Dear has taken down already. Our backyard is free range now.

On Monday I got to enjoy both our grandchildren. Addy is getting more and more articulate and it’s fun to hear her full sentences. Jaymison is still having some digestive and elimination issues but he’s gaining weight and doing better. We’ve had some periods of heavy rain through the weekend. We are warming up and expected to go up 10 degrees tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll be putting our Heat Pump to good use. Hope you all have a good week.

Memorial Day 2019

We take time to stop and remember the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom. Some gave all. This is Memorial Day. This weekend we remember those who served our country and died in combat. The following photo was taken at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Shelter those who’ve come and gone.
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who reached the arms of God.

Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Cover those who left their homes
To rest in fields here, side by side,
Lest we forget their sacrifice.

Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

Written by Lowell Alexander, Orrin Hatch, and Philip Naish.

Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:7 (NRSV)

IMGP7117This is the Veterans Memorial at the Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California.

IMGP7115

IMGP7120There were many sobering monuments at Riverside National Cemetery.

Our Sunday service at First Baptist Colville was a moving service with tribute given to those who died serving our country. We even stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance together. My Country Tis of Thee was one of the songs we sang. We thanked God for the freedom we have to come to church and to openly worship Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life and through His sacrifice for our sins  made the only way possible for us to have a relationship with God. There are countries where Christians are being imprisoned or martyred for their faith right now. That’s a sobering reality, too.

Hope you all are having a meaningful weekend.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I need to pull out my red-white-and blue bin but for now I put up this new star piece I purchased at Wal-Mart this week. Hope all of you in the U.S.A. have a meaningful Memorial Day Weekend.

Meanwhile we are still being surprised by flowers popping up on our property.

Angie from Letting Go of the Bay Leaf let me know that this plant is a Columbine. Here are some of the color varieties we’ve enjoyed this week.

Such a pretty delicate flower. This combination above might be my favorite.

White Bleeding Heart.

We are still waiting on the peonies to burst forth and we have a nice little patch of irises that should burst forth soon.

We had some storms pass through this afternoon and we are expecting more rain tomorrow. When the skies clear I’ll head out and take photos of more surprises on our property.

We Remember the Fallen

We take time to stop and remember the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom. Some gave all. This is Memorial Day.

Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:7 (NRSV)

IMGP7117This weekend we remember those who served our country and died in combat. This is the Veterans Memorial at the Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California.

IMGP7115

IMGP7120There were many sobering monuments at this National Cemetery. The Veterans Memorial was one of them. Another sobering monument was the POW/MIA monument.

IMGP7005

IMGP6997

IMGP7001We remember that this isn’t just a long weekend and a barbecue but a significant time that has been set aside on our calendars to acknowledge that sacrifices have been made for our nation and our well being.

IMGP6990Part of our family was able to spend some time at this cemetery in May of 2012. Dear’s father is buried here and we had never seen his grave marker. I took most of these photos then. On Veterans Day in 2015 we were at this cemetery again to bury our brother in law who served in the Viet Nam War. The next photos are from that day.

Memorial Day is the day we honor those who served their country and died in that service.  For our Son-in-law who lost several of his fellow Marines in Afghanistan and in a training exercise in Nevada just within the last few years, the memories are close and raw.

13331148_10156898068110702_3541939029066266538_n

These young men, warriors, that our son-in-law feels privileged to have served with, we remember and pray for their families who remember them everyday not just on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day honor the sacrifices of innumerable individuals who sacrificed themselves to preserve the freedoms all Americans enjoy, with Memorial Day remembering those who gave their lives, and Veterans Day honoring all who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. It’s important to know the difference.

I’ve been away from my computer all weekend with a short trip to California to honor our dear old pop on his 95th birthday. Hopefully I’ll be able to share some photos from our short time there.

A Day to Remember and Honor…

Thank you to all who have served our country and who lost their lives protecting us!

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Shelter those who’ve come and gone.
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who reached the arms of God.

Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Cover those who left their homes
To rest in fields here, side by side,
Lest we forget their sacrifice.

Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

It was written by Lowell Alexander, Orrin Hatch, and Philip Naish.

We Remember the Fallen…

We take time to stop and remember the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom. Some gave all.

Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:7 (NRSV)

IMGP7117This weekend we remember those who served our country and died in combat. This is the Veterans Memorial at the Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California.

IMGP7115

IMGP7120There were many sobering monuments at this National Cemetery. The Veterans Memorial was one of them. Another sobering monument was the POW/MIA monument.

IMGP7005

IMGP6997

IMGP7001We remember that this isn’t just a long weekend and a barbecue but a significant time that has been set aside on our calendars to acknowledge that sacrifices have been made for our nation and our well being.

IMGP6990Part of our family was able to spend some time at this cemetery in May of 2012. Dear’s father is buried here and we had never seen his grave marker. I took most of these photos then. On Veterans Day in 2015 we were at this cemetery again to bury our brother in law who served in the Viet Nam War. The next photos are from that day.

Memorial Day is the day we honor those who served their country and died in that service.  For our Son-in-law who lost several of his fellow Marines in Afghanistan and in a training exercise in Nevada just within the last few years, the memories are too close and raw.

13331148_10156898068110702_3541939029066266538_n

These young men, warriors, that our son-in-law feels privileged to have served with, we remember and pray for their families who remember them everyday not just on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day honor the sacrifices of innumerable individuals who sacrificed themselves to preserve the freedoms all Americans enjoy, with Memorial Day remembering those who gave their lives, and Veterans Day honoring all who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

We also plan to celebrate the living this weekend with a barbecue timed strategically between the rain showers! What are your plans?

Memorial Day Weekend

Here in the U.S.A. we are at the beginning of our Memorial Day Weekend with Monday May 25th being a national Memorial Day holiday.

When we were in Southern California for our nephews wedding in 2012 we made a special trip to Riverside National Cemetery where Dear’s father was buried in October of 1985, just a couple months before our Katie was born. Today I’m sharing some very dramatic memorials from the cemetery for this Memorial Day Weekend.

When the Warrior Returns

When the warrior returns, from the battle afar,
To the home and the country he nobly defended,
O! Warm be the welcome to gladden his ear,
And loud be the joy that his perils are ended:
In the full tide of song let his fame roll along,
To the feast-flowing board let us gratefully throng,
Where, mixed with the olive, the laurel shall wave,
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the brave.

~ Francis Scott Key

We thank God our son-in-law, our warrior returned from his perils.

Pictures18-001

Riverside National Cemetery is the third-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration, and since 2000 has been the most active in the system based on the number of interments. It was established in 1976 through the transfer of 740 acres from March Air Force Base, which during World War II was called the U.S. Army’s Camp William G. Haan. The cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials Nov. 11, 1978. An additional 181 acres was transferred by the Air Force in 2003.

The dramatic, meandering landscape features a central boulevard with memorial circles, lakes, indigenous-styled committal shelters, and a memorial amphitheater.

Riverside National cemetery is home of the Medal of Honor Memorial and one of four sites recognized as a National Medal of Honor Memorial Site. The Medal of Honor Memorial, whose walls feature the names of all medal recipients, is located at the third traffic circle in the cemetery. It was dedicated in 1999.

Walking up to the Medal of Honor Memorial you see each of the seals of the branches of service. Of course we have our favorite…

Several Medal Honor Recipients are buried at this cemetery.

The Fallen Soldier/Veterans’ Memorial, erected in 2000, is dedicated to all service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The dramatic bronze structure topped by a lifeless soldier is located near the lake at the entrance to the cemetery.

This and the POW/MIA Memorial were very moving…

The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action National Memorial was designated as a national memorial by the U.S. Congress in 2004 through Public Law 108-454. The memorial was dedicated on September 16, 2005. Vietnam veteran Lewis Lee Millett, Jr., sculpted the bronze statue which depicts an American serviceman on his knees with hands bound by his captors. The statue is surrounded by black marble pillars that evoke imprisonment.

While we were at the cemetery we had an unexpected treat. See everyone looking up? March Air Force Base was hosting an air show this weekend and we got a wonderful view of the Patriots Jet Team.

Hope you have a meaningful Memorial Day weekend.