Happy Veterans Day ~ 11/11/11

I'm heading to a Veterans Day ceremony this morning.

I'll see many of the veterans I've met through my newspaper work, and I'll remember several veterans I've known who have passed away in recent years.

Today is a perfect day to say thank you to all who served our country or who are serving now. Let them know you appreciate them!

A tribute to veterans

I have been taking photos of our Stars and Stripes lately. I spotted this flag flying above a school in our neighborhood last week as the sun was setting.

I took the photo below of a torn American flag that flies from a highway overpass. It was published in the newspaper today, with information about where to properly dispose of tattered flags.

A member of the American Legion did not know who had put the flag there. It clearly needs to be taken down and disposed of properly.

There is a second, slightly less tattered flag attached to the railing on the other side of the overpass. One veteran I spoke to surmised that the flags could have been put there after Sept. 11, 2001.

Today, on Veterans Day, I am deeply grateful to all veterans and I thank them for their service and their sacrifice.

They deserve our respect, today and every day

I found this online and thought I'd post it. I'm not a poet, but I appreciate the talent of those who pen poems.
"They Did Their Share"

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

- By Joanna Fuchs

Share and share alike

A marital blift...that's blog+rift for the uninitiated.

In the past two days Airhead 55 has stolen his loving wife's photos and blog post ideas. I haven't even read the posts, but I know what they are about.

I'm going to pretend he didn't, so I can post my own photos of the Veterans Day service we attended this morning on the Green in Derby, Ct.

Here is a photo I like and I'm not sure which one of us took it. I think I did. Not only do we share a computer, we also share a Canon PowerShot A550.

These American flags were distributed to local schools and organizations during the ceremony, as a way to acknowledge the organizations' patriotism in flying Old Glory on a daily basis.
The flags were among 810 that had flown in a "Field of Heroes" at Bushnell Park in Hartford last June, in honor of Flag Day.


Here you see Ralph watching the program. It was my turn using the camera. Woo hoo!

In the background is the stately Sterling Opera House. It opened in 1889 and was used as a theater until 1945.
After that it served as a City Hall and police station until 1965.



Below is a better view of it.



The historic opera house was the first building in Connecticut to gain a place on the National Register of Historic Places. A few years ago the roof was replaced and the Italian Victorian-style structure is undergoing major renovations. You can see construction workers on the crane.
The photo is a bit slanted because I was standing on a slope. It's hilly around these parts. (that's my excuse anyway)

In the good old days of vaudeville, audiences at the Sterling saw the likes of entertainers ranging from Red Skelton, John Phillip Sousa, and Donald O'Connor to Harry Houdini.
Amelia Earhart addressed a woman's club there in 1936.

And yes, that all was before my time.

Like many others, I hope someday to see the theater restored to its former glory.