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| Planted flags (Saturday May 28, 2016) |
A recent tradition for me has been to go to Fairview Cemetery on the Saturday before Memorial Day to help place flags on the graves of all veterans. This year was the fourth time in five years (I missed one year due to rain).
It is a short walk from my apartment to the cemetery. I timed it so I would arrive after the initial onslaught of cub scouts and others groups. When I arrived at 8:40 a.m. (it started at 8:30 a.m.) the line had diminished to only a few people so there was virtually no wait.
Each person was given a bundle of 10-12 small American Flags along with a map of the cemetery with a designated section to place their flags (see below). By chance (?), I was assigned the same section as I was last year. It was a good walk to get there.
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| Section 13 (highlighted in yellow) was where I was assigned to place my flags. |
This year I remembered to bring a screw driver to provide a pilot hole in the dry, hard ground for the flag staff. Even with that, it was still somewhat challenging. Quickly, my 10 or so flags were planted. I gave my screw drive to a young mother with a couple elementary school kids who where obviously having trouble getting their flags in the ground. And I headed back to the garage to see if I could get more flags.
At the jump off point I was cheerfully allowed to take two more bundles of flags. As I headed back to my Section 13, I wondered how I was going to be able to plant them since I had given away my screw driver. God provided. On the way back, I passed that mother and her tired kids. She recognized me and returned the screw driver, noting that her kids had used up whatever enthusiasm they might have started with.
Seeing that Section 13 was pretty well covered, I meandered back through various sections looking for graves that had been missed. I was able to place all my flags except two (for a total of about 28 flags planted).
When I started out this morning, the sky was filled with grayish clouds that hinted at rain. But Mother Nature was not so kind, and the sun quickly appeared and it got hot (and rather humid). When I left the cemetery at 10:25 a.m. the temperature was in the mid-80s and climbing.
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At the jump off point I was cheerfully allowed to take two more bundles of flags. As I headed back to my Section 13, I wondered how I was going to be able to plant them since I had given away my screw driver. God provided. On the way back, I passed that mother and her tired kids. She recognized me and returned the screw driver, noting that her kids had used up whatever enthusiasm they might have started with.
Seeing that Section 13 was pretty well covered, I meandered back through various sections looking for graves that had been missed. I was able to place all my flags except two (for a total of about 28 flags planted).
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| Not much of a breeze on a hot, humid May morning. |
When I started out this morning, the sky was filled with grayish clouds that hinted at rain. But Mother Nature was not so kind, and the sun quickly appeared and it got hot (and rather humid). When I left the cemetery at 10:25 a.m. the temperature was in the mid-80s and climbing.
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| Entrance to the Cemetery (picture taken as I was leaving). |
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| Flags rolled at start (courtesy of NBC Connecticut). |
Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/05/planting-flags.html
http://www.usmemorialday.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States
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Written Sunday 29 May 2016.
http://www.usmemorialday.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States
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Written Sunday 29 May 2016.
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