Memorial Day parades

Stella here.

I am SO annoyed with myself!

Harvey'n me went off t' th' parade an' I left th' blankety blank new cam'ra a-settin' right on th' kitchen table an' never gave it a thought till th' parade was comin' down th' street.

Then when I went t' get it out 'twasn't there!

I wanted t' show you th' Moose Cove marchin' band an' all o' our parade, an' I couldn't do NOTHIN"!

So what y're seein' here's some pictures Pat G sent me o' the parade down t' Brunswick. I guess they's better'n not havin' any, an' she said 'twas a fine thing t' watch... but I don't know none o' them folks, so I can't give y' no details like I woulda if they'd been pictures I took.

She did say t'was an endin' of two eras there, cuz th' Navy base is closin' down an' this was th' last parade f'r them. An' also th' Hawthorne Elementary School's closin' its doors after this year, so 'twas their last parade, too.

She said there was some older folks was talkin' nearby an' they was mighty sad f'r th' loss o' both.

I guess when times change an' things disappear that'd always been, there's bound t' be a lotta sadness goin' around. I know how I'd feel if th' Chester Greenwood School here shut down!

Th' last picture is of some lilacs Pat G saw as she was headin' home. She said she knew how much I loved 'em, so she took that photograph for me.

I can't ever get enough o' lilacs!

Pat G tol' me one time she was visitin' down south... 'twas Alabama, I think, an' she happened t' mention lilacs an' a young woman said, "What d' they smell like?"

'Twas th' first time Pat G'd discovered there was was places where they didn't have lilacs!

Ain't that amazin'!

Well, we had us a fine parade. Th' weather couldn't o' been better - although 'twas nippy early on. Little further north o' here they got a touch o' frost. I'm glad we're on th' coast an' missed it.

Th' kids from Chester Greenwood had a float depictin' soldiers from all o' th' wars all th' way back t' th' revolution. They looked some cunnin' all dressed up, although I wished they'd had somethin' besides soldierin' t' show. Makes me so sad t' think o' all th' waste o' human lives.

Wouldn't y' think we'da learned by now?

Kids still think it's a fine thing, goin' off t' war... but it's just a game t' them - they don't get what th' reality's like.

I have t' admit t' sheddin' some tears when th' (real) old WW II soldiers went by. Some of 'em're older'n Harvey but they was marchin' as best they could.

There's only a couple left. I'm some grateful to 'em for what they done an' th' sacrifices they made.

We went over t' th' Legion Hall afterwards an' socialized f'r a while b'fore we went home.

Glad t' get back here an' put our feet up. I can't imagine how glad them old soldiers musta been t' do th' same!

That's all f'r now.

Love,

Stella