Designated Memorial Day

Today has been designated Memorial Day by Congress. I know that Memorial Day is May 30, the day that Tommy was born, and for most of my life, the designated day to remember those who have departed this turf. I took a bike ride to the Minnesota Capitol and the memorials to Minnesota involvement in wars of the 19th and 20th Centuries. I've taken this bike ride for the last few years on this day, and every time there is a group of Viet Nam era vets clustered around the memorial to the war they know about intimately. These people decry war, rage against war. I guess they know something about the subject.

There were flowers in front of the memorial with all the names of Minnesota casualties on it.



There is a new memorial on the mall. It was dedicated last year, I think. It's the monument to commemorate the big war of the 20th century - World War II. I took a picture of that, too, with the Minnesota Capitol in the background with the flags at half staff, as they always are on Memorial Day. It was early enough in this gray day for some blue sky to be showing through the gathering clouds.



If Kurt Vonnegut were still alive and visiting the Minnesota capitol mall, he would notice that we have been at war a major part of the last century. Rightly or wrongly he might comment that we seem to be quite a warlike people. Rightly or wrongly.

My bike ride was a shade over 10 miles.

Sunday before Memorial Day

The Indianapolis 500 is history and my five picks in the race were wrong again, as usual. Apparently the closest I got was my fifth choice, Ashley Judd, who will likely be sleeping with the champion.

I was able to squeeze in a short ride on the Trek, down to the Minnesota state capitol, about three miles distant. It was clear, nearly windless and about 68 degrees. As close to perfect as ever a Sunday was. I meandered on the ride, while your Unky Herb was out blistering the paths down along Old Man River. We left home and returned within minutes of each other and compared mileage totals at the end. He had twice the miles, but I had these photos and enough energy for ninety minutes of crushing forehands at St Clair playground with Tennis Dennis. It was a reasonable exchange. There is a sculpture park just across the street from the Sears store on Rice Street. It is the home of several imaginative sculptures of a variety of materials. The park is next to some apartment buildings that house a number of immigrants from Somalia, I think. One of the kids talked at me in his language as I left, but as I did in Japan last May, I could only smile and nod. I took the first photo near where the conversation took place.

Large, long-legged creature looming over Trekkie.



On Memorial Day for the last few years, I have biked down to the Capitol grounds to see the Minnesota memorials to the various wars that we've been afflicted with, most of them in my lifetime. On Memorial Day there are always a bunch of Viet Nam veterans at the memorial to that conflict, guys about my age and their families. They'll be there tomorrow. I guess it was my war. I never served in the conflict. I was one of the lucky ones. I'd like to thank any and all who did serve for their sacrifices, including those with their name on the wall pictured below. I am forever grateful that the names on the wall do not include any of my family or close friends.

Minnesota's Viet Nam War Memorial and the words of Archibald MacLeish:



As John Lennon wrote many years ago "All I am asking, is give peace a chance."