happy memorial day

Some of my dad's Coast Guard buddies

enjoy the weekend ...

... wave the flag!

Ned & Mariette Cassels wave the flag, c. 1910

happy memorial day

Here are some pictures from my dad's World War 2 Coast Guard days.

Dad home (on the left) on leave, with a Coast Guard buddy

A picture he must have taken of his buddies on board their Destroyer Escort, the USS Merrill.

Happy Memorial Day!

happy memorial day

Some vintage family photos for Memorial Day.

My Dad, lower right, and his Coast Guard buddies.

My Uncle John, Dad's brother, in his National Guard uniform.

My maternal Grandfather, in his RAF uniform

My maternal great-great grandfather, in his Union, Wisconsin Regiment, Civil War uniform

memorial day

Today, Memorial Day, is the day we honor all those who served and remember how they risked their lives in wartime. It was first celebrated after the Civil War.

But today is also when my family is making all sorts of arrangements, among them, a memorial service for my dear cousin Ann who died on Sunday.

The word memorial has derivations starting in Latin, not surprisingly:

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin memorile, from neuter of Latin memorilis, belonging to memory, from memoria, memory; see memory.]

from TheFreeDictionary

I especially like "belonging to memory." After someone dies, what better way is there to describe how they can still be in our lives, while no longer physically present?




With a six year-old daughter who was part of my cousin's life since the day she was born, and vice-versa, I have been struggling for a very long time how I was going to tell her when the inevitable moment came. How much should I tell her? But when it happened, it happened exactly as I do all things—directly. I was as gentle as I could be, told her, answered her questions, and held her as we both cried. One of the only reassuring moments in the conveying of this terrible news was that I could tell her that Ann would always be a part of our lives. That we had memories and pictures and drawings to keep her with us, to help us remember.

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chill out

 Watching the lions

Today was the hottest day yet this year, forecast at 94 degrees and it felt like 100+. A perfect day for the zoo, right? Well, not exactly. Extreme heat and seventeen children create a certain special brand of mayhem—not even counting the other scads of tourists. The Thursday before Memorial Day may have had something to do with it too. But besides all of that we managed to have a great time. The iPhone doesn't have a blur feature (or if it does, I'm not using it), it was just so darn hot some of my photos were muggy.



Orangutan on the move

One of the most oft-heard phrases uttered by parents (besides me for once) today was, "Chill out." Wow, it's considered an intransitive verb, c. 1980. Not only did this phrase express the frustration of the herding of our little cats, but the actual weather conditions. Luckily, there were strategically placed water misters to at least help with the latter.