Memorial Weekends, Past and present

About 50 years ago Memorial Day meant the first outing of the summer. My family would journey to eastern Oklahoma to either the Illinois River or the Baron Fork River (which emptied into the Illinois). We would listen to the Indy 500 on the car radio, picnic on Bologna sandwiches and chips (in the car) while we waited for the rain to end. It always rained on that day. It would end and we would get out of the hot, steamy car and head down the bank to the river to swim in the coldest spring-fed water that you can imagine.

Now days (to my constant amazement) my family walks out the back door to the swimming pool after eating a huge lunch and watching the Indy 500 on the big screen. It is a sunny day. No rain in sight. But I am still reminded of the days of my youth because the water is as cold as a spring-fed stream!

My grand kids don't know how good they have it, but I do.

I also know that my life is made possible partly because many gave up there's to give us this freedom.