Monday May 25, 2015

Memorial Weekend Update, written Monday May 25, 1700 It was a quiet warm weekend. Saturday May 23, 2015: Slept in this morning and since Nancy did not want to go to breakfast I put on my bike clothes and headed out. I was going to put the bike on the car and go to White Pine Trail but decided I did not want the hassle on a Holiday weekend. I would use local trails. I did stop at Panera for oatmeal, bagel and coffee. Great day for a bike ride and surprising the Cascade and Ada bike trails were not crowded. Today I rode 16 miles. In the afternoon Nancy and I drove to Lowe’s. Nancy had picked out a gas grill she wanted. Luckily we brought bungee cords because the grill did not fit entirely in the trunk. Used the bungee cord to hold the lid down. At home we put the grill on our front deck. I read the manual and then installed the propane tank. The manual was nothing but one big safety warning. We will use the grill later this weekend. In the afternoon took a walk in our big green backyard. Our condo sits on an old golf course and our back yard is the third green. We forgot to buy a cover for our grill so at 1600 we got in the Taurus and headed to Home Depot because it was closer than Lowe’s. They had just what we wanted. For dinner we stopped at Forest Hill Inn. Only 2 or 3 cars in the lot and when we looked in the dining section was closed. Only the bar was open. We got back in the car and stopped at Sundance Grill. We sat outside and both had the ham and eggs scramble. It was good. We finished the evening watching a movie on netflix. Day one of holiday weekend. In 1966 on day one of Memorial Day weekend, Nancy, Debbie and I were living at 875 Woodside Road in Redwood City, Ca. I was looking forward to having a three day holiday. Had been working 6 day weeks for three months. About 0630 a loud noise went off and I told Nancy to turn off the alarm. Nancy got up and looked at the clock and said it is not the alarm. She grabbed Debbie (5 months old) and walked outside into the hall. She frantically came back in and said it was the fire alarm. She and Debbie headed downstairs. I got out the door and then remember I had left my cigarettes. I went back and got them. The apartment complex was built in the shape of an U. All our neighbors assembled in the courtyard and watched the fire dept put out a small kitchen fire. And that was how we started our holiday weekend in 1966. Sunday May 25, 2015: Swim day, we are up at 0645 and get ready for our Sunday swim. MVP was not very busy. We each had a lane. Stopped at Meijer’s for our weekly supplies. Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs on waffles for breakfast. I took a quick nap and then at 1430 we headed out to Moleski’s for dinner. Attending were Tim Mask, the Namey’s, Moleski’s and Linda Moleski’s sister from Chicago. Tom Moleski cooked pork, corn on the cob and veggies on his grill. It was threatening rain so we ate inside. It was a pleasant time. Monday May 25, 2015: today we followed our normal Memorial Day Monday tradition. We got in the Taurus and headed to Saugatuck, MI. We ran into light showers but temperatures were in low 70s. We were very surprised to find that Saugatuck was not very crowded. Usually we have a tough time finding a parking spot and the sidewalks are jammed. Not today. I assume it was the weather. We had breakfast at the Pumpernickel. Sat on their screened porch. The Village had a Memorial Day parade and it went right by the restaurant. They had local Veteran’s marching and the high school band. It was a nice small town touch. Speaking of small town Memorial Day parades: the City of Alpena alway had a nice parade that started downtown and ended at the cemetery about a mile away. The local National Guard unit, Alpena HS band and the Boy Scouts along with the Police and Fire Departments all marched. I marched in several parades with Boy Scout troop 78. Memorial Day was kind of a milestone day for me because on this day my Mother let me take off my long underwear. Marching in a parade on a hot day wearing long underwear was not pleasant. Back to 2015: after breakfast we walked around town and looked in several stores. We did not buy anything. At home, I wanted to take Ms P on her walk but she refused. I took a hour walk. It is now 1800 and Nancy has fired up the new grill and is cooking burgers. Perfect end to a holiday weekend.