Sunday, May 30, 2010

Memorial Day Tribute

Last week as I drove from my home to my office, I noticed American flags had been hung on the telephone poles along Main Street near the Town Hall in Trumbull, CT, in anticipation of Memorial Day...


Seeing the flags waving each day reminded me of
the importance of remembering those who have
made the ultimate sacrifice for We the People....






Here are some of the historical markers in honor of those who have served this country that I found around my towns...



On a wall of the Trumbull Town Hall is a bronze etching...A Salute to Women - Veterans Day 1999
'Our community honors mothers, wives, daughters and sisters who during times of war joined their uniformed men in service as well as "kept the home fires burning" unselfishly entering the factories, shops & mills turning America into 'The Arsenal of Democracy" So vital and necessary for "victory".'

On the lawn in front of the Town Hall there is a monument to the town's World War I residents who lost their lives....










Just a few steps away is the Trumbull Veterans Memorial...Dedicated to the honor and sacrifice of the men and women of this community who seved our country in all wars...




On the back of this monument is a list of Trumbull residents who gave their lives in the service of their country from the French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam... The name of the first Trumbull resident to die in Vietnam is Gerald Bourdeau, who I knew growing up...he was the first person I knew to die in 'my generation's war.....




















Just down the road from my office is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park... A bronze plaque is inscribed "Vietnam War" The Trumbull Beautification Commission dedicates this park as a living memorial to the men and women of Trumbull who served their country during the Vietnam War. 'Your Sacrifice Is Not Forgotten'....



















At the Easton Town Hall there is a marble monument to those Easton residents who
served in World War II and Korea...
"Lest We Forget" In memory of the Easton Veterans of World War II and Korea...


After a long struggle the town recently approved the placement of a memorial to an Easton resident and his family who were killed on September 11, 2001, passengers on the plane from Boston that was crashed into the World Trade Towers....Certainly there will be future memorials to those who have served & sacrificed in Iraq & Afghanistan....

Today in recognition of those individuals, known and never known, and to those who serve in the Armed Forces today all around the world, I will pause and remember that their sacrifices allow me, mine and everyone in these United States to be free to say, do and be what one chooses....


In 2000, President William J. Clinton signed
a proclamation calling for a National Moment of
Remembrance, a moment of silence at 3 p.m.
Memorial Day....I for one will remember to pause to say 'thank you' today...















89 comments:

Coreen said...

In honor of Memorial Day, here's my post of
sights around my towns...On Monday, most surrounding towns are having parades & most
will place wreathes at the various veterans'
memorials....

Do your towns do similar things in recognition
of Memorial Day....

Carol said...

Wonderful post for Memorial Day Coreen. You did a lot of work getting this one together and it is very nice. Thanks.

Carol said...

I'm finally settled down. I had a wonderful day. Food turned out well. Sent most of the it home with all my new BFFs but still enough where I'll probably be throwing out some.

It was the right size group for being able to enjoy each of them, 5. I like to have a group where I can interact with everyone. River rat Randal came and another one of the nurses who used to work with me at the joint.

One of my new roomies got my pontoon boat up and running good. It hadn't been run in quite a while and needed a lot of tuning up but he did it today while I was cooking and we all took a nice cruise after eating. A big thunderstorm chased us back or we might still be out cruising. This roommate situation just keeps getting better by the day. I now have peeps I can play with. I think they are also very happy with the arrangement.

jan said...

Coreen, a beautiful post. Thank you for reminding us of the Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day. I will be here observing that moment of silence at 3 pm.

jan said...

Carol, sounds like a joyous day. Life just keeps getting better.

I just watched a movie we rented, "Dear John." A really sweet movie written by the guy in North Carolina who wrote Bridges of Madison County (I think he was the one that wrote it). It is hard to believe a man can write such great chick flicks. The main guy character was serving in the army -so a quite appropriate movie to watch on this weekend. I highly recommend it.

jan said...

Good nite. Sleep well everyone.

Carol said...

Ya know we get people in the joint who are veterans of some war. I've had people in there who really needed the help of the VA for some of their health needs. Some of their healthcare problems, if not all, are certainly, IMHO, related to their war service. Even the reason that they are in jail is most likely related to their war service but the VA won't do anything while they are in jail. Last year I asked Flatus about it. He is the one who told me where I could find the rules on that. I looked them up and he was right.

I think that is a real shame. They are still veterans. They still made the sacrifice of serving their country and I don't think the VA should abandon them while they are in jail. It's not right.

Coreen, we do have one place here in town where people have donated the coffin flags and they display them twice a year. It's at one of the cemetaries here in town. Mom donated my dad's flag to them years ago. I think I'll drive over there and check it out today. I've never been to see it.

Carol said...

Lately Jan, it seems I've really been getting some good. I've found people who give back. I'm not used to it. It's really a great feeling.

Carol said...

Yesterday I wrote on TM about Racheal's reporting that old 1979 oil spill that was similar to the one we are now experiencing. I was wondering why I didn't remember it, if it was so bad. I figured it was because I wasn't paying attention to the news. Both Sturge and Flatus responded that they also didn't have any memory of it. Do you think it is because they didn't cover it back then? We didn't have all the options for news that we have now, just network and newspapers.

Coreen said...

Good morning.

Thanks guys...'noticing' things around comes
as a result of all of you....I travel the
same areas all the time, but it it took this
place to prompt me to 'look & see' lots that
sometimes we take for granted....

Coreen said...

Jan,

Best to you as you start a new chapter in your life...I'm sure from what you tell us about you & John's relationship, there are lots of
good things on the horizon...and a belated
happy anniversary....

Yes, 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, set aside for
a moment to remember...They usually mention it on the radio around here....

Coreen said...

Carol, sounds like you are enjoying your new
roomies & other neighbors....good to concentrate on some of life's happy times & since you have a 'vacation heaven' right at
your fingertips....time to take the time to smell those roses.....

Not familiar with the cemetery flag display you mentioned...unless it is like here, some
veterans group place small flags at the graves of veterans in some cemeteries on certain holidays, like today...

As far as the oil spill & the one in 1979 off Mexico...I would suspect that back then there
was just not the 'instant' media that surrounds
us today....then there was basically the 3 national tv channels & local radio, so the news
reported & then went on to the next day's events...no concentrating on filling the 24/7
cycle with constant stories....

Carol said...

"no concentrating on filling the 24/7
cycle with constant stories...."

There's good and bad to that. Some of us are busy during that prime time news and need to have another time to catch it. Unfortunately we have to catch a lot of other BS also. When they repeat it so often, they have to add a lot of entertaining fillers. But since they have so much time, you'd think we would get more depth but that doesn't happen. It's still pretty superficial.

I'm still cleaning up from yesterday. I think I'll also go to the house and start clearing out and filling up my outside garbage can. Tomorrow is garbage day.

Solar said...

Hoping to take it easy today...going to the park to see if I can get the teenagers to pick an older guy like me for a game of basketball....

Coreen,

I will join u for that moment of silence...also plan to start a new book at the park...if it doesn't rain that is....just picked up a copy of "The Red Queen" sex and the evolution of human nature. by Matt Ridley,......wish the writing was a little larger.

I like his writing cos he explains in a new way ( evolution of biology) the human condition and how it has evolved...

Sun just went down and a few clouds are overhead........

Coreen said...

This was in today's CT Post....simply said, plenty of meaning...

Annie's Mailbox Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Dear Readers: Today is Memorial Day. Please take a moment to remember and appreciate the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served their country. In their honor, we would like to reprint one of our favorite poems on the subject, by John T. Bird of Birmingham, Ala.:

Last Monday in May We pause to remember those who died with so much courage so much pride.

They'll never come back but memories endure to remind us of freedom: fragile, pure.

We're worthy of their sacrifice if we pause each day not just on the last Monday in May.

Carol said...

A few pics from my Memorial Day weekend

Carol said...

Those were pics from the display of coffin flags at one of our local cemetaries. They display them on Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. There are 700 flags. Dad's flag is there.

The last two pics are some of my friends on our pontoon cruise yesterday.

jan said...

Carol, I enjoyed your Memorial Day pics. I did not know or I forgot that your dad was a veteran. Thanks for sharing.

My dad was not a vet. He was about 25 when the U.S. entered WWII. He tried to enlist but was rejected because of his eyes. He wore these glasses with lenses as thick as coke bottles. I guess his eyesight was really bad. When I was older he had some surgery on his eyes and he was able to wear more normal looking glasses and even contacts.I remember one time when I was pretty little, he was taking a nap and I put his glasses on and everything was a blur.

jan said...

We spent the day at home. My son and DIL came over for part of the day. We sat out on the front porch and visited with various neighbors as they walked by. A nice quiet day.

jan said...

I watched a Dateline special I had taped on Dr. Andrew Wakefield who had published research in Lancet in the late 1990's on autism and immunizations. I have been interested in this topic as I work with young families and so many are afraid of vaccines for fear their children will become autistic. Wakefield has lost his medical license in the UK over the publication b/c it was found that he used unethical practices in his conduct of the research and was found to have been given close to a million dollars by a attorneys representing some of the 12 families in a class action suit against the company that makes the vaccine he tried to show caused autism. He moved to the US 3 years ago and has this tremendous following of women who have children with autism. Jennie Mcarthy is one of the women.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone. Hope everyone had a good day.
Wonderful tribute to honor the day Coreen, and very nice pictures. You came through for us again. Thanks.

Jan, You had the right idea today, enjoying it outdoors with family and friends.

Anonymous said...

... Solar, Hope you made it to your park. If so, did you get to play basketball?

Anonymous said...

Carol, Those room mates of your's must have been sent straight from Heaven - and I'm sure they're thinking the same thing about you. The guys sounds like quite the handy man - it's so great that they helping you out at the house (I was surprised to hear they were even power washing.) I'm so glad to hear that you're getting some of the help you've been needing.

I need this long weekend to be over with so things will settle down around here. I'm actually looking forward to beginning the week tomorrow, with things back to normal. See you guys then.

(... enjoyed your pics too Carol)

jan said...

"I need this long weekend to be over with so things will settle down around here. I'm actually looking forward to beginning the week tomorrow, with things back to normal."

Chloe, I have to chuckle at your wanting the weedend over to get back to normal. You must have had a busy weekend.

Solar, I too am waiting to hear if you played basketball today.

jan said...

weedend=weekend

Carol said...

Solar, glad to hear you included a pic for the TM video. Now I'll know if it's really you because I don't believe that little kid you use all the time is really you. I've seen a pic of you already. I sent a PI to get it.

Carol said...

And Jan, weedend is also appropriate for many of my weekends. Unfortunately it's only a temporary weedend. They do come back!

Ivy Green said...

Thank you, Coreen, for a nice post in tribute to Memorial Day. Glad everyone had a nice holiday. We got out to see the Cahaba Lillies. There were fewer stands of flowers than last year. We could see that many were submerged under the rapids - we wondered if the all-weekend storms affected them. These rare wildflowers are very temperamental.

Smithsonian Magazine featured our river and its diversity in its August 2009 issue.

Rare Wildflower

"Biological splendor is usually associated with faraway places and fabulous creatures, rain forest river basins or African elephants. The close-to-home grandeur of the Cahaba is more subtle, counted not in jaguars or monkeys but in snails and mussels. To those willing to look closely, though, the river is as fascinating as any jungle."

River of Riches

Unsung Waterway

"The Cahaba boasts the longest free-flowing stretch of river in Alabama—140 miles—and one of the longest in the Southeast. Biologists have found that it shelters more fish species per mile than any other river in the country. Its floral attractions range from a spectacularly showy lily to a low, unassuming prairie clover, one of several local plant species that, until recently, were entirely unknown to science."

Carol said...

That's a pretty cool river Ivy. Is it close to where you live? Article says that many who live near it don't even know much about it. It's like that everywhere. We don't always know what we have right around our own neck of the woods. I still find things I haven't seen before. Today was the first time I went to see the Avenue of Flags here. Glad I did. It was moving.

Carol said...

We have some spider lilies that look similar to those lilies. Next time I see some I'm gonna look a little closer at them to see how they compare.

Carol said...

And it was neat how fast the little snail and the fish recovered once they removed the dams. Nature does heal itself pretty fast. I hope the Gulf will be able to. God please plug that leak because we lowly humans don't seem to be able to.

Ivy Green said...

Carol,
We live a stone's throw from the Cahaba, but to see where the lilies grow, we have to drive about 50 miles. They used to be spread all over the river, but now they are all but confined to the area that comprises the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge.

Cahaba River NWR

Ivy Green said...

Carol,
My good friend Bear Woman said the same thing last year about the resemblance to spider lilies. For Christmas, she sent me spider lily bulbs. I planted them about a month ago. Their green shoots are just now coming up. They do look similar. The Cahaba Lilies are aquatic and won't grow away from the swift current of the river. Their season is short as well - from Mother's Day to Father's Day. Known as Shoals Lilies in the rare spots in Georgia and South Carolina where they may be seen.

Ivy Green said...

Carol,
I have a special license tag that is sold to raise money to preserve the Cahaba River and its many endangered species. Because we live so near the river, it became almost the first "cause" here I was attracted to.

Carol said...

That is a very good cause Ivy. Those little snails are coming to say thanks but since they only travel a few inches a year, it's going to be awhile before they get there. OK?

I thought it was very cool about the festival queen in her gown, taking off her shoes, pulling up her skirt and stomping right thru the water. It's the only kind of pagent that I might want to attend.

When you went to see her, your river, did you bring your little camera sister? It sure would make a nice post to put up something on her.

Carol said...

And Coreen, you mentioned that being a part of this blog got ya doing things you might not have done before. Same here. I sometimes think the Swamp is our direct line to the Universe. You throw your ideas and needs out here and somehow a solution comes back to you. It's been working for me. There's a magic here. But ya gotta believe.....Do you believe in magic?

Carol said...

Some Senator was on Morning Joe saying,"120 billion in Medicare and Medicaid fraud and we didn't do anything about it and we ask the American people to trust us."

Let me respond to that. WE DON'T TRUST YOU. We look at you guys and gals and wonder why in the hell we are paying our hard earned money for taxes to support your fraud and mismanagement. Some of you don't even pay your own taxes! You are giving our hard earned money as bonuses to fat cats who have screwed us to the bone! WE DON'T TRUST YOU! LET ME MAKE THAT PERFECTLY CLEAR!

Carol said...

The media is wondering why Obama is allowing the perception that he doesn't give a damn about this oil spill and what it's doing to our environment/country. Wake up media. He's more afraid of the perception of big business that he may be going against their interest!

Coreen said...

Glad to see that the weekend was pleasant for
everyone...spending time with family & friends,
enjoying our surroundings....

Carol, enjoyed the pics of the Avenue of Flags,
a moving custom to be appreciated...& now that your boat is up & running smoothly...a really good thing....

The Cahaba lily looks so fragile, yet most be
pretty hardy to survive....Mother Nature continues to amaze, all we have to do is look
around us....

Ivy Green said...

Carol,
There's no way my pictures could hold a candle to the professional work of Beth Maynor Young. Her Cahaba Lily photos are sold locally as art. We lost the only unique photo opportunity that occurred when a dragonfly landed momentarily on my hat. It was too quick to snap. Miss College Grad said she was sorry to have missed that one. She's still laughing at the thought of it. lol

That's about all there is left to say about our precious Cahaba lily. Like some of the fellows in magazine photos, our good TM friend Mr. Pogo used to guide canoes down the Cahaba River at one time when he lived here in a previous life, or so he once said. We collected a few snail and mussel shells on the riverbank which we're attempting to identify. We picked up a few rocks, one of which seems to be a hunk of coal.

Coal was the big industry that brought many European immigrants to this part of Alabama. You don't think of Alabama in terms of "diversity" but there are fascinating remnants here and there of what once was. We passed a historical marker directing us to the largest Italian Catholic cemetery in Alabama. The nearby town West Blocton once had a thriving Jewish community, and was the birthplace of the father of Mel Allen, "The Voice of the Yankees." Mel began his Hall of Fame radio broadcasting career in West Blocton.

"A home-made radio station was fashioned with a stand-up microphone, a public address system, and an old cabinet radio which stood outside the store. A continuous story, similar to a soap-opera, was broadcast on Saturdays to passersby. The stories were written, produced, and performed by [Mel's cousin] Ellis, his older brother Frank, Mel Allen, and some of their friends. Frank Israel also became a professional radio announcer under the name Don Frank."

Jewish History of West Blocton and Mel Allen radio start

(For some reason, it is the "trivial" aspects of history that intrigue me the most. lol)

Anonymous said...

I've been haunted since I saw this picture of an oil covered duck on Drudge yesterday. It brought the horror of this oil spill right to the front of my consciousness, and have had a hard time wiping it out of my mind. It's painful to look at and even harder to link it, but it says everything there is to say about this oil spill. I don't know how I'll ever wipe away this memory.

It's on the left side, about a third of the way down: http://www.drudgereport.com/

Anonymous said...

Ivy, Thanks for all the beautiful pictures of your river. Seeing them is a good way to get back on the right track. That and all the great attitudes here at the swamp. Gratitude is such an important feeling, and I always see and feel so much of it here.

Anonymous said...

Mary, I see you only have a little over a month to go, and you'll be a grandma. I bet you're getting anxious. Make sure you keep us informed how things are going. We miss hearing from you.

Ivy Green said...

Chloe,
Yesterday, as we walked along the banks of the Cahaba River, I said to Hubs how grateful I am I can walk, let alone be able to walk and sit along this riverbank, and to enjoy this nature preserve. "It restores my spirit," I said. In that moment, I wasn't even thinking about the Gulf coast spoilage, just savoring the purity of "my river." But of course, I do feel deeply how those who live near and depend upon the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico now are experiencing the opposite of what I felt: their spirits are depleted by every drop of errant oil. I pray for an end to the destruction, and for restoration of the spirit of the Gulf and its people. .

Ivy Green said...

Sad to hear news about the split of Al and Tipper Gore. What up with that? I had believed theirs to be one of the rare "forever marriages." They said no affairs or such, just a growing apart into separate lives. I don't see why that requires the heartache and expense of a formal separation and divorce. I'm missing a clue.

Ivy Green said...

Hey, I just realized: not only is this Tuesday, not Monday, it's JUNE already! OMG! Where has the time gone?

Ivy Green said...

I had no excuse not to be totally "in the present." It's our primary election day. MCG and I went out to vote already and got our little "I voted" stickers. The poll workers congratulated her on being a "young voter." They'd had only one other college-aged voter this morning. Three basic civic duties I learned growing up that I've tried to pass on: Vote; Pay Taxes Honestly; and Willingly Serve Jury Duty When Called. These are the basics for every citizen and deserve no accolades. Those who serve in the military answer a higher calling, and that is why we honor them especially.

For me, I'll welcome a reprieve from the political attack ads, some of which have held our not-always-fair State up to national ridicule for their backwardness, ignorance, and unadulterated hackery.

Carol said...

Boy I would have liked to see a picture of a dragonfly lighting on an Ivy. That would have been priceless.

Carol said...

As far as your last paragraph of you last comment Ivy, join the club.

Carol said...

Al and Tipper getting a divorce????? Certainly must mean the world is going to end.

I wonder if all his celebrity has anything to do with it?

Carol said...

That pic of the duck Chloe, ruined my day. It is just too sad to watch. I can't deal with it.

Carol said...

Maybe Tipper is tired of the backseat.

Carol said...

And Ivy, I'm never allowed to serve on jury duty and you know I would like to. They would have to fight me for the foreman job.

I've always had a job where they can't let me go to do it. I've only been called once and really wanted to do it but the hospital wouldn't let me go. They sent in a letter of hardship. Drats.

Carol said...

I guess Vitter didn't think that chasing hookers was bad enough. Now he wants to limit BP's liability toward our State regarding this oil spill. Death wish??

Carol said...

Maybe Vitter knows he'll never get re-elected so he's looking for a job with BP or he's had a stroke. It's the only things that makes sense.

Coreen said...

About the Gore breakup... I know that the claim
is that there is 'no affair', (why the need to put that out from the get go) but my instinct, cynicism, plus knowledge of past divorce clients(when I still was willing to do divorces)...I would certainly not be surprised if in the not so distant future, one of them has a 'new' companion show up....

Coreen said...

Did any of you go over to TM this p.m. Check it out... There is a 'preview' of the video up....& Ivy, is that you right at the beginning, in front of a white
house.....I saw KGC, Jack, Renee, Oldsea, Rezdog in the clip...didn't know the rest at all....

Carol said...

If that ain't Ivy, I think she has a twin.

Ivy Green said...

Busted!

(Anybody recognize the house? I ain't tellin'...)

Carol said...

Nope for me Ivy. Don't have a clue.

Carol said...

Are ya ever going to tell?

Carol said...

I see we have the makings for a new chicken catcher on America's Got Talent. And he's really playing it up for the pity vote. No, I didn't pay close attention tonight but I checked it out off an on.

Mary said...

Is that your house, Ivy? Seems like the front of the house was on a previous post here, a good while back.

Chloe, I hope the person that took that picture of the duck rescued it. That just made me so sad.
On a happier note, Yes my DIL is almost 36 wks. So far everything is going well. I will be flying up on the 13th of July.

Carol said...

I still don't hear anyone mentioning that previous, similar, spill when people are interviewed about this oil spill. Why not? Since Racheal did her program on it, I haven't heard it mentioned again. Anyone else heard anything about it?

Ivy Green said...

Good guess, Mary, but no, that isn't my house in the photo. It was the home of someone more famous (or infamous, as the case may be, depending on one's political point of view). lol

Ivy Green said...

I just surprised a big ol' raccoon on my second floor deck. Actually, I'm not sure who was the more surprised, me or him. I couldn't figure out what enticed him up there. As I stood quietly for a minute to look and listen, I realized it was my bird feeder that was swinging off its hook. They've never bothered it before. I didn't realize raccoons eat bird seed.

jan said...

I too was surprised to hear that the Gores are splitting up. Only those who are in the marriage/relationship really know what is going on. Coreen, I am with you - in a few months or less we may hear of one or both with new companions. There could have been problems for years and then the straw that broke camel's back probably happened. I've been there.

jan said...

Mary, It won't be long now. I have not seen much of my little Great's lately. Hope to see more of them this summer.

jan said...

Ivy, Again, it is so good to have you back. I enjoyed reading about your adventure with Mr. Raccoon.

jan said...

I bought a laptop today - a mac. I am having a time learning how to use it. I did buy some lessons to go with it but won't get my first lesson until 6/12. Carol, soon I will be changing my e-mail address and I guess will need to log on again onto your blog. So many changes. I got a call from a dear friend from years ago tonight. She now lives in CA. We taught together here in the early '80's. Where did all the time go?

jan said...

Mary, I did not finish my sentence to you. I meant it will not be long until your little grandbaby is here. July 13, the day you are going there is just "around the corner."

Carol said...

Ivy, I'm so glad you did send in your pic for the TM video. If it weren't for TM I wouldn't have met all you neat peeps. I still think of them as family and you know, just like family, you can get aggravated with them at times.

Carol said...

So you settled on Apple Jan. What was the reason you did?

Carol said...

Did anyone see that sink hole in Guatemala? Super weird. A perfectly circular sink hole. Why did that happen?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/01/guatemala-sinkhole-is-mas_n_595877.html

jan said...

Carol, Several of my family members have apples and really like apple. John bought one last year and likes it. He has had several pc's. His last pc crashed without warning and he lost everything on it. People with apples seemed to be happier with them.

Coreen said...

About that 'white house' Ivy, if I didn't remember that you said you had not yet been there, I would have thought it was Helen Keller's 'Ivy Green'....

And glad that you did send a pic to TM...since
I recalled that you said you weren' planning on
sending one, when I saw the trailer I wasn't
sure if it was you....

How about some clues....

Carol said...

Coreen, she did mention "It was the home of someone more famous (or infamous, as the case may be, depending on one's political point of view). lol"

That's a clue but it didn't help me.

Carol said...

There is a little sign by the side door and I blew up the pic to 400% but it was fuzzy. I was working at it.

Anonymous said...

Ivy, I didn't even know about the Gore separation until I read your comment yesterday. I have a feeling that the real story will come out eventually, after all the gossip people have time to investigate.

I didn't know that Tipper Gore was a photographer, but got this link off the news stories I looked up that's talking about her and Al's split.
If you want to view them, once you get to the link there's an introduction that gives you less than a minute to read it, then it goes to a page where you have to click on 'Portfolios' - on the next page you click on different categories you want to view.

I liked the 'Portraits' pics the best - some of her other stuff was a little more abstract (than my preference). The wild life had some nice shots too. http://tippergore.com/

(Her site was linked from Al Gore's official site - I imagine that the link will disappear from his site within the year)

Anonymous said...

Carol, I heard that sink hole was caused by the sewer system. It sure is strange looking - looks like man was involved somehow. Mother nature isn't that tidy.

Coreen said...

Jan,

About the Gore's breakup...the reason I
mentioned the idea of one of them having
someone is based on past experience with divorce clients...generally the one who started a divorce had someone waiting in the wings, someone they thought would provide whatever was missing from their relationship (whether in fact that was the case in the end) that was the catalyst providing the person with the sense of 'security' to proceed....

One of the reasons I stopped doing divorces...while you can legally split the marriage, the emotional & financial trauma of dissolving a family is beyond an
attorney's control(especially since supporting 2 families out of what once supported 1 is just very difficult for the spouse who is left behind...most often the woman, who unless she has her own source of income is left much 'poorer' as a result of the divorce)...something the person not
really ready for the split has a very difficult time accepting (if they accept it at all)

And about the Gore's...just wondering if the
recent purchase of the Montecito CA home was to set up the divorce...Not sure if it has been mentioned who will be living there.....

Coreen said...

Carol, how did you even 'capture' that pic from the video?...I can't even slow it down.....sign on the side door?....

Ivy, we need more clues to solve the mystery...

Anonymous said...

That picture ruined my day too Carol. I had to link it though, just to pin point the saddest part of this tragedy, the part that makes it so painful to think about.

I was thinking that once hurricane season get's here, that oil is going to be everywhere.

Coreen said...

Chloe, if you are still here...did you decide
to send Craig a pic after all...hope so...even Solar finally gave in & said he sent one....
maybe we will finally have 'the big reveal' from Solar after all the promises....

Coreen said...

Carol, a little bit ago, Brian Williams mentioned a radio station out of New Orleans
WWL, local talk is providing the real feelings from the local people about what is
happening to their lives....

And Chloe, when I saw the same pic at Drudge
this weekend had the same 'knot in my stomach' feeling of sadness & utter helplessness to prevent the destruction that most assuredly is happening over & over....

Anonymous said...

Hi Coreen, No - I didn't send one.

The way you stop that video is to click on the little stop mark (on the bottom left - it's 2 vertical lines) right at the spot where you want to stop it. Then you go to your view tab to zoom in.

Press the arrow (that took the place of the stop sign when you click it) when you're ready to go again.

Anonymous said...

The problem I had with that pic Coreen, is that I'm having trouble wiping it out of my mind. I felt all those things that you said you felt. That pic just said it all for me, and I wish I'd never seen it - at the same time, I know I had to.

Anonymous said...

Ok Guys, I found a picture to replace that one - one with a happy ending. There are so many people out there 'doing something'.... (besides complaining, like I do).

"Dr. Sharon Taylor of the US Fish and Wildlife Service releases a Northern Gannet at the Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge near St. Petersburg, Florida on May 30. The bird, along with five others, was transported to the Tampa Bay after being found covered in oil near Louisiana's coast" Obama threatens court action over US oil spill

Solar said...

Chloe,

Re: Obama threatening Bp. Haliburton etal will only be believed by me: When I see a court ordered motion against them.!

He also likes play basketball, and in basketball, there are a lot of head fakes. He has made quite a few of them, where also in basketball, if done to often they are not to be believed.....

I did play basketball with the teenagers over the weekend, just before it rained...we played half of a second one in the rain, then it rained to hard...that turned out good for me...I was pooped. I can still move ok with them cos I anticipate the plays as well as I used to when I played (was my fav sport) a long, long time ago...so I just set up a lot of plays and teach them some plays that are a team effort...they seem to like this cos I have a standing invite.....

Coreen,

I did give into Craig about sending a pic....I did send one before last year, or was it the year before?, yes it was the year before...been around too long....

I waned to send one that showed the Building, a roof top restaurant at cubs park, that is on Sheffield ave, is by the right field side.....or a pic of me with and some of my const. equipment......but I could not, and chose one that showed my best construction project to date....with my son Tom......

Don't know if Craig was trying to be funny, but he asked me if I was the one with the cap on....my son looks a lot younger than I do......I look (as always) a bit serious, but am always read for a little hahahaa-ing....