As we approach the long Memorial Day weekend I was curious what some of my fellow Americans might also be doing this weekend.
I’ll be taking some much needed time away from work, farm, and kids to enjoy the mountains with my Wife and dogs. We try and visit Silverton, CO at least once a year and I’m so excited! I don’t care if it rains the whole time!
I wish I could do a lot of 4x4 driving but my wife is 7 months prego right now and doesn’t like bumps very much.
I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and please remember the reason for it.
Memorial day to honor those who died in active military service. I encourage all of you to honor their memory in a way you see fit. I will be enjoying the freedom they provided and reflecting on the sacrifice they gave.
I’m heading to a motorcycle rally in WV with my son. It’s a motorcycle based scavenger hunt vs the Sturgis version of rallies. They usually send riders all over the east coast and include some locations to find that have Memorial Day relevance so folks remember why they’ve got the opportunity to run around burning dead dinosaurs. (I help organize a motorcycle tour that is dedicated to military/fire/police/ems memorials every year - the Tour of Honor).
This year I won’t be riding but will be bbqing for the riders (about 60 of them) with a 100 lbs of brisket and pork butt while spending some time with my son and his girlfriend.
For the weekend, shop time with my new handibot 2.0 that will arrive sometime tomorrow.
For Memorial Day I will take a few minutes out to remember the crews and my brothers of the USS Scorpion and the USS Thresher who are on eternal patrol having lost their lives fighting the cold war.
My brother and sister-in-law ar going to Normandy in France. Alas, I have to part ways and head back home for weekend services. At our church we have been collecting photos of all who serve or have served in military operations with descriptions to post on a big wall for the weekend. We will have about 2,600 people come through our services on this holiday weekend. Looking forward to it.
My wife and I will also be getting away to the mountains. We will begin the 2016 Green Mountain Adventure Challenge in Vermont. It’s kind of a scavenger hunt in some ways like the movie National Treasure. This will be our 4th year competing. We will also be remembering relatives who served. I recently visited the Vietnam Memorial in DC for the second time to see a relative’s name.
check out www.tourofhonor.com and you can see where folks are sent. This is a summer long self-directed tour (vs this weekend’s time limited scavenger hunt style). The ToH raises money for veterans groups but most all of the different rallies are designed to raise money for some charity or another (so we’re not just selfishly burning gas ).
My wife’s birthday is on the 31st, so this weekend is her celebration weekend. Some of her friends and her sister are taking her out on Saturday, leaving me watching the niece. Sunday we’re either going to a nice dinner or driving up to Leavenworth, WA for the night… the decision has not yet been made.
My town, Boulder, Colorado, has the biggest Memorial Day event in the U.S., the Bolder Boulder 10k race (there’ll be close to 60,000 runners and walkers this year). Lots of people run in costume, and there are bands all along the course. In the neighborhood it runs through, there are also funny signs, and things like bacon stations, donuts, kiddy pools to run through, etc. I usually run with the names of my dad (Leon Stanfield, WWII U.S. Merchant Marine, dec.), brother (Steven Stanfield, U.S. Army, dec.), uncle (Don Stanfield, WWII U.S. Army, dec. in the line of duty), and grandfather (Albert Darling, WWII U.S. Army, current resident of a Veterans’ retirement home) written on me. This year, my knee’s janky, so my partner and I will walk up through the big art fair in the park below and into the stadium where it ends in time for the professional races and the memorial event. It’s a great celebration of veterans with an honored living vet, speeches, fighter jet flyover, parachutists, etc. I always have a good cry during the memorial and then scream myself hoarse cheering on the U.S. and Colorado pro teams.
I lived for a year in the apt. complex on Taft, just under the stadium. The band plays a flourish every time someone enters the stadium… starting around 6am.
Try to leave… and the mix of tourist traffic and event-road-closures means that it takes a very long time to get out of town.
If you are running the BB or participating in the celebrations then it is an awesome experience, but if you have to be doing stuff…
The kids just finished up the school year. We will be kicking off the summer by loading up our new toy hauler with the ATVs and canoe. The maiden voyage will be this weekend to Carson National Forest. It should serve well to shake out all the issues before our big trip to Glacier mid summer.
The weekend will be much the same for me and my 90-yr old mom (who lives with me). No BBQ or travel plans for us. But one of my aides has planted flower boxes and a small herb garden on our 3rd floor condo deck – one of those skinny decks that you see on apartments that exists solely so the builder can meet the fire code of “two exits” And we have hummingbird feeders, too.
So we’ll be watching the flowers and hummingbirds.
I’m picking my mother up at the msp airport for her stay at my place for the next month and a half. She’s a bit crafty and will want to see what we can do with the laser as well.
Aside from that, my redsail clone arrived today, and I’ll be getting some mirrors aligned snd setting up the big beast on Saturday.
I just moved to San Tan Valley, AZ. So, my weekend will be spend unpacking, cleaning, and sleeping. Just got internet today and have a lot of updates to do. So many places to explore here. I will probably wander around shop for furniture when I get tired of house stuff. Getting a lot of ideas for projects. Have to check out a church, a doctor, a dentist, a pet groomer, and a hair stylist. What a great way to spend the holiday. May all of you have a great weekend. God bless!
I’ll be fixing up my office for my new laser shop. Sunday my daughter is using my back production area in my shop for a shoe painting class.
Hope to relax a bit on Saturday😜 maybe grill some meat on my Traeger.
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And we have hummingbird feeders, too.
