The greatest generations

The "greatest generation," a term popularized by the book of the same name by Tom Brokaw, is often used to refer to those who came of age during World War II. But those men and women are certainly not the only generation in attendance at this year's Memorial Day Ceremony at the Downey Cemetery.

One part of the ceremony that I always appreciate is the roll call of veterans. The roll call starts with those who served in World War II (there are fewer every year), continues through the Korean and Viet Nam wars, and ends with the various wars in the Middle East through the continuing conflict in Afghanistan. And for each one, men and women from each new generation stand to be recognized and honored for their service, past and present.

I love the USA

Students from the ASPIRE programs at Lewis and Alameda Elementary Schools performed at the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Downey Cemetery. First, they sang "American Tears," by Teresa Jennings. The kids were appropriately solemn as they sang these words:

For the heroes. For the patriots.
For the soldiers. For all the pioneers.
I will always be an American.
And I’ll always cry American tears.

And then they sang "God Bless the USA," by Lee Greenwood. Its upbeat tune and chorus had everyone smiling—and taking pictures.

And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA.

Ready, aim...

The Memorial Day Ceremony at the Downey Cemetery is sponsored by the American Legion Post 270. The American Legion is a volunteer organization chartered by Congress in 1919, and is "committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans."

The Legion has a long history of accomplishments. Here are just a few of the significant dates and events, from the history page on their website:

• Aug. 9, 1921
  The Legion's efforts result in the creation of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, forerunner of the Veterans Administration. Today, the Legion continues to lobby for adequate funding to cover medical, disability, education and other benefits for veterans.
• Sept. 19-21, 1942: Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion is changed for the first and only time since it was written in 1919.  The word “War” is changed to “Wars.”
• Dec. 15, 1943
  Past National Commander Harry W. Colmery starts to write in longhand, on Mayflower Hotel stationery in Washington, the first draft of what will later become the "GI Bill of Rights" – considered the Legion's single greatest legislative achievement. Higher education becomes democratized after 8 million veterans go to school on the GI Bill, get better jobs, buy houses in the suburbs and raise families.
• Aug. 26, 1982
  The Legion presents a $1 million check to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for construction of the Wall in Washington, becoming the largest single contributor to the project.

Today, the Legion has over 2 million members worldwide. But local membership is declining, and there are no longer 7 volunteers for the traditional "21-gun" rifle salute. These four volunteers are Michael Murray (US Army), Richard Tuttle (Downey Police Dept), Johnny Croshaw (USMC), and Dean Wright (USAF).

In gratitude, in sorrow

On this Memorial Day, I once again attended the Memorial Day Ceremony that is held at the Downey Cemetery each year. There is much to be moved by at each year's ceremony. But to me, the quote on this wall is always meaningful: "In gratitude to those who served ... in sorrow for those who lost their lives." In the stone's reflection, you can see the crowd that has gathered to remember and honor those who have served their country.

In the other direction, you can see the grave markers. And if you look closely, you'll also see the white crosses and American flags that mark the graves of the servicemen and women who are buried here. Many of the crosses have gone missing over the years, and for the past two years, a couple of local Explorer Scouts have made it their project to replace and restore them—a fitting project for the holiday originally known as Decoration Day.

Nuts about nuts

We recently hung this squirrel feeder on a tree in our front yard. It has been fun to watch some of our local squirrels scurry up and down the tree snatching nuts to munch on.

Oops, I guess we did not hang it up well enough, because the next time I went to check on the squirrels, this is what I saw.

Old adds new

We have moved to another home base today. We are staying in a vintner's B&B for two days. The home is adjacent to the town of Beaumes de Venise in southern France. We took a walk in the town to get a taste of this old village. We walked up to the top of the hill where the first inhabitants lived in the 12th century. As we strolled through the narrow streets, we noticed that the older homes were not torn down to make room for the new but the new fit in with the old.

Or, in some cases, were never modified at all. We met a family that are living in a three-story stone home that was built in the 15th century. Little has been done to modify the structure. Only a few conveniences to make life a little bit more comfortable. I wanted to ask them if they knew anything about former tenants, so I said, "There have been a lot of people that have lived in your home." They replied, "Oh yes, but no ghost."

It made me think of Downey and how we tear down the old to make room for the new. We don't use our imaginations to preserve the old and meld the new in with it.

"Architecture has been called the art of building beautifully, a fixation of man’s thinking, and record of his activity… Keep in mind that last phrase. It is important."

~ Ernst Johnson, architect, professor, colleague of Eero Saarinen

Food for the stomach, food for the eye

Bonnie and I are in France for the next two weeks. We have been in Annecy for the past few days and enjoying every minute.

Except when the voice on the car's GPS didn't say anything about the direction of an upcoming Y in the road until the last second. By the time she said it and I obeyed it, I had to cross over the solid white line that divided the two paths. We followed the path which took us on a sharp turn that took us up to an overcrossing. We had to slow down because of several cars ahead of us. When we got the the top, two policemen were walking across the street and when it was our turn, they motioned us to pull over onto the sidewalk. He wanted my license, car registration, insurance, and my passport. He said he was watching from up above and saw me pull across the solid white line. I told him, "I know, but the GPS lady didn't tell us anything until we just got there." He said those things tell you of stuff half a mile ahead. I said, "Not this one!" I think he could sense my frustration because he let me go with a warning instead of the $100 fine.

We ate at the La Galejade restaurant tonight. We had some local dish called escalope savoyarde. This is "gratinated chicken in the oven with reblochon cheese" served with french fries. It was delicious. The view of the Le Thiou river was captivating.



For most of the day, we had a storm going through. Around 8:00 pm the sky cleared and we got some great pictures of Lake Annecy with the Alps in the background.

Wild mushrooms

I came across these mushrooms growing in a field. I love mushrooms and I've always been curious about how you identify which mushrooms you can eat and which ones will make you sick. These mushrooms are interesting to look at, but I don't think I am willing to risk eating them.


"...And you, whose pastime/Is to make midnight mushrooms..."
~ Prospero, in Shakespeare's The Tempest, V, 1