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.

Twins Win! Twins Win!

A Memorial Day well spent. I went to see the Twins play at the baggie in downtown Minneapolis with the Moohoo family. The Twins beat the Chisox 10-4 in what was the best game I have seen in over ten years. Details and box score in the Strib. I ate at the game. I had a Top Dog for $5.50 and a diet coke for $4.00 - the best dog I have had in years, too. Thanks to Wireless for the free corporate tickets close enough to see the action and safely behind a protective screen.

Photo below of the Moohoo family - Wireless, G.Z., and B. Babe - in front of the Metrodome after the game:


After the game I was able to rally for a ride on the Trek to the Minnesota Capitol and a look at the new WWII Memorial, just finished this year. I stopped by at the Viet Nam Memorial and found the names of the two guys I knew on the roll of the dead - Renny Huerd, from high school (GHS tennis team), and Jerry Smith, a Hamline grad. Both died in 1968. There were this year, again, quite a number of bouquets of flowers, and individual carnations and roses.

I rode back up John Ireland Boulevard, past the Cathedral and St Paul College. The bike ride was about seven miles in all.

It has been raining at Roland Garros, but Serena Williams is through to the second round, as is Venus. Milagros Sequera has begun to play the French woman, Virginia Razzano, to get to a match with the "bootylicious" Serena. Rozzano won the first set 7-5 and play will continue tomorrow. It is scheduled for 11 am on Court 1.