Memorial Day the Freeland, PA Way!

Tom invited me to visit his mother in Freeland, PA for memorial day. Freeland goes all out in observance of the holiday and it was really nice to see.

The day kicks off with the guys from the American Legion and VFW doing readings, rifle firings, and playing Taps at each of the cemeteries in town.


Next we were off to breakfast and mass where I met several of Tom's cousins. The town is very close knit and everybody seems to be a cousin. In fact one of his cousins asked him if I was another cousin. His response "Gee, I sure hope not!" The sermon focused on the meaning behind each of the folds in the U.S. flag, which I had never heard before. If only I could remember what they all mean now!

Following the mass, there was a parade through town with every available fire engine, the boy scouts, and my favorite - the marching band. This is no ordinary marching band, this marching band rides through the parade in the back of a flat bed truck!

The parade ends at the park in town where there are memorials those who died in service during each of our country's wars. Local elected officials and selected students do additional readings, including the order establishing Memorial Day and wreaths are put in front of each memorial.

At the end of the festivities it was back to Tom's mom's house for burgers, potato salad, etc. Yum! It was so nice to be included in all the town's festivities and to meet Tom's mother and brother. They made me feel right at home.

I got to ride around in the back of Tom's jeep (sitting on the floor) throughout the day which was also quite entertaining!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

To get to the other side of course!

Gettysburg - What happened there again?

Tom and I decided to meet in Gettysburg for the weekend. Little did I know what I was in for when I agreed to go! No sooner did I get out of the car and I was met with a manila folder marked "Gettysburg" with maps of each day of the 3 day battle. It was a 3 day battle? This math and physics major last studied the civil war in 11th grade and has a brain that lives by the motto "use it or lose it!"
Tom is quite the history buff, and the civil war, and Gettysburg buff in particular. He was a fantastic tour guide explaining each stage of the battle and where the union and confederate troops were positioned and how his favorite General - Gen. Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine - won the battle for Union. (His bio was included in my folder.)

All in all, it was a fun day re-learning a little history while driving around the battlefield looking at all the memorials.

Frauke & Steve Get Married Again!

Once (or even twice!) clearly just wasn't enough for these two, so they decided to get married for technically the third time! They are clearly veterans by now! It was another fun celebration - this one marked by a ceremony at Great Falls and a party at their new home. I was happy to be able to participate in the festivities once again!