“Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.”  (reference – www.history.com)

As a veteran, I took time this weekend to pause and remember all my comrades-in-arms that I had the privilege of serving with during my 26+ year Army career.  There is no greater bond than the one formed between brothers-in-arms during military service/combat.  Thank you brothers…

On Sunday, we did the typical picnic thing and enjoyed the Memorial Day activities here at Elks Lodge 309.

The Lodge had the grill fired up with lots of brats, dogs, and burgers.  And you can’t beat the price for a beer; only $1 a glass 🙂

Friends and fellow Coach owners, Biff and Linda joined us for food and conversation.

Daughter Jennifer and grandson Kaan, also stopped by.

The threatening rain clouds didn’t stop some of the younger generation from jumping into the frigid pool…

… but the rain (once again) put a damper on things around 3 PM.  Stilla went back to our youngest daughters’ house to keep an eye on her dogs while she’s in Las Vegas with her boyfriend for the weekend.  Of course, she’s also using the opportunity to spend quality-time with our grandson.  I just hid out from the rain and caught up on some of my favorite TV shows for the rest of the evening.

In the morning on Memorial Day Monday; my Dad, stepmom Elaine, and my Dad’s brother, Charles stopped by the Coach at the Elks Lodge to pick me up.

My Dad and stepmom have a tradition of visiting the family cemeteries each year.  I offered to act as their chauffeur.  Our first stop was in Elbert, CO; about 40 miles north-east of Colorado Springs.  My stepmom Elaine has several relatives here.

We arrived just in time to witness a nice flag-raising ceremony, complete with honor guard, a 21-gun salute, and taps on a bugle:

After the flag ceremony, we got to work trimming some bushes and refreshing the flowers at Elaine’s relatives gravesite(s).

Dad even broke out the weed-eater…

It was time for lunch after our visit to Elbert Cemetery, so we stopped at the quaint, nearby town of Kiowa.

Patty Anns Cafe is a nice local establishment that we’ve been to a number of times.  The food was just as good as l remembered it from last year.

After lunch, we took the scenic route back to Colorado Springs and arrived at Evergreen Cemetery…

The Veteran’s section of the cemetery looked especially nice with recently-placed flags.  Someone had even taken the time to place a fresh flower on top of each individual headstone.  Nice touch…

Here we visited my dear Grandpa and Grandma Hobden.  I sure miss them both… I was deployed overseas during each of their funerals.

We replaced the flowers and tidied up a bit.

Isn’t this a nice photo of a younger Jesse Wayne & Glenora Hobden?

Next, we visited Isadore and Minnie Meyers;  Grandma Hobden’s parents.  My Dad claims that Grandpa Hobden planted this evergreen tree back in 1926.

And here’s Grandpa Hobden’s parents; Nellie & Joseph Hobden.

Our final cemetery stop was at Memorial Gardens ( on S. Academy and Airport Rd.) where my stepmom Elaine’s parents (Richard and Helen Tifft) are interred at the mausoleum.  We freshened up the artificial flowers which was a little challenging without a ladder.

After we paid our respects and completed our cemetery tour(s); we dropped off my Uncle Charles at his house near Memorial Hospital.  Then we stopped for a quick bite at the Pita Pit near the Elks Lodge.  I then successfully concluded my chauffeur duties by driving us safely back to the Coach where we said our farewells.

I hope everyone had a memorable Memorial Day weekend.

My plan for Tuesday is to finish moving a few final things out of the house in preparation for the future owners walk-thru, which is scheduled for Wednesday.  Stay tuned…