Another busy day today.
Our Resident Council is meeting this morning to walk the property to discuss the Community Garden we plan to put in this summer. Then from 12-4 is our Meet & Greet event. I'm looking forward to the Bouncy Castle! Just kidding. I'm pretty certain that would put me in the hospital.
My rock tumblers are finishing up their "wash cycle", so later today I will need to empty them and reload them with another batch of stones for polishing.
Monday is Memorial Day so I will drive up to the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. I try to go each year. They do some really nice memorial services there. Various speakers and songs and dances by the Oyate.
Oyate is the Lakota Sioux word meaning "The People", specifically referring to themselves, the Lakota tribe of the Sioux Nation. I enjoy it when they put out the flags on each grave. It is such a well-maintained cemetery. One of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I'll share some pictures when I return.
When I had to go to the Fort Meade VA Hospital at Sturgis, I always salute the cemetery as I drive by. My way of saying, "Thank you for your service and sacrifice." Now that our Specialty Clinics have been moved to Rapid City, I don't get up that way very often. Some day, that will be my final resting place and just maybe someone will salute my grave as they drive by.
After a quick trip to the cemetery, I will head across the interstate (I-90) to the Fort Meade Recreation Area to do some rockhounding if my knees hold up. It is a huge acreage with a mix of grassland and forest. It was once a training area for soldiers stationed at Fort Meade, so no metal detecting or digging is allowed. They don't want someone to accidentally discover an unexploded bomb.
Within the Recreation Area is the old Fort Meade Cemetery. It is very small, but some of the graves date back to the early 1900s. It is no longer in use but is preserved for historical reasons. Volunteers continue to maintain the site for family members who wish to visit.
Have a great weekend, everyone. Be safe!