Memorial Day Poll

Comment from Patsy Husson on May 20, 2009

My most memorable Memorial Day was in the year 2000 -- that is the day I went on a blind date with a friend of a friend. We went hiking in Acadia National Park on Mt. Dessert Island in Maine. We spent the whole day together, walking through the trails around Long Lake and up the mountains, taking photos, and getting acquainted. (We discovered that we had a whole lot in common, in addition to both being divorced.) Later in the day, we had a delicious meal of popovers and scallops at the Jordan Pond House, and then stopped at L. L. Bean in Ellsworth to purchase some hiking gear (for future hikes!). Eventually, we stopped at Phillips Lake in Lucerne for a brief visit with the folks that introduced us. Lastly, we returned to my house in Veazie, where we watched "Run Away Bride!" :) It was the longest (and best!) date I had ever been on.

Memorial Day 2001 was also memorable! Exactly one year to the date we met, we re-traced our hike and events, and he proposed to me, on bended knee, at the most beautiful place on Long Lake! Now, we're living happily ever after! :)

Comment from Marylee Tharp on May 20, 2009

We spend our winters in Florida, and when we get back to PA it is the first of May - both my children live in PA, so we have a big family get together for Memorial Day - great food, wonderful time with family and get caught up on everything that happened during the winter months - Just the first of many cook outs for the summer!

Comment from Susan Hendry on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day will become a landmark for me - I am retiring after teaching elementary music for 36 years. I have had a wonderful adventure and am looking forward to a whole phase of my life.

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from ann hicks on May 20, 2009

This Memorial Day I am welcoming my daughter from another state and my only grandson to visit----yea!!!! We will go the swimming pool, picnic, go out to dinner, maybe the zoo or Children's Museum,and generally just "hang out!"

Comment from Barbara Huggins on May 21, 2009

Your poll assumes that nobody works on holidays. Because I work in a group home for developmentally disabled adults, I work a lot of holidays. And this Memorial Day is no exception.

Comment from Paige Pitcher on May 21, 2009

Since the birth of my younger son last June, with my husband's and older son's birthdays are also in early June, I've been struggling with how I am going to work these three birthdays so close together. I figure since a lot of people have off on Memorial Day and the kids are off school, Memorial Day will become the day of the big Family Birthday. Just one of many new traditions I hope to create with my little family.

Comment from Jenifer Lewis on May 21, 2009

My husband and I used to work every holiday, so we would celebrate holidays on our own at some other time in the week, month, year, whatever. Now that we can actually relax and enjoy long weekends like Memorial Day, we feel the best place to do it is right at home. After we put in some time on clean-up work around our church on saturday morning, we'll spend the rest of the time putting in the vegetable garden (in Maine we can't do much before now -- heck, we had a frost this past week!), watching the Indy 500, playing a round of golf, and doing some early morning fishing. My husband wants to wash the cars, too, but that might be too ambitious. ;-)

Comment from Richard Tostenson on May 22, 2009

Here on the farm we still call "Memorial Day" Decoration Day we gather as a family, young and old alike. Our farmstead has been in the family for 158 years now. At 11:30 am we come together and raise Old Glory in the center of our home place and the children sing God Bless America. Flanders Field is read and the names of all those in our family who have served our Nation are called out and remembered for the service they gave. We then have a moment of thanks and have a picnic in the apple orchard, the blooms are still holding on yet here in Minnesota. After our traditional picnic fare, everyone is loaded into the various vehicles along with the pots of geraniums and flags. We visit the graves of all those who have left us and talk to the children about each of them. We return to the farm for some old fashion hand cranked ice cream with strawberries and blue berries for the kids, and Mojitos on the front porch for the adults. We have been celebrating our tradition for generations and the good Lord willing for more to come.