Friday, May 25, 2012

Memorial Day weekend 2012





















Thanks to The Goat That Wrote, currently living in South Korea, for bringing the grassy tombs of the Silla Kings to my attention.  They remind me of the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, where half of Richard's ashes are buried.  There are approximately 30,000 graves in this cemetery which dates back to 1992.  The ashes of Richard's father and his mother are buried in an older part of the cemetery.  In the San Joaquin Valley, the late summer grass in the rolling hills is golden rather than green.  These photos were taken in October 2008, a little over five months after Richard died.




The older part of the cemetery was watered to a surreal green.  Grass had not yet been planted in the area of Richard's grave.

The first Columbine on my porch opened this week.  The name Columbine comes from a Latin word meaning "dove." 

Memorial Days are usually quiet days for me.  It's often a good day for a long walk.  This year I'll be getting together for an informal dinner with some friends in the evening of Memorial Day.  

My thoughts this weekend are with the new generation of widows and their children and with all those whose loved ones have died in war throughout history.

3 comments:

Sabine said...

At times, your memories sound so practical, so stable and I do hope it is like that, a strong raft to keep you on this river.
Thanks for sharing.

Goat said...

Nice post, Am, very moving. Eerie indeed how those gently rounded brown knolls, so far apart geographically, look so similar.

I will have a new post up after I finish my Gyeongju series about a couple of visits I made to the UN War Cemetery in Busan. A beautiful place, very serene.

jarvenpa said...

Memorial days are quiet for me as well. The phrase about this new generation of widows...
so poignant.