Veteran's Day

John told me this morning that it was at eleven o'clock in the morning on the eleventh day of the eleventh month that World War I effectively ended.  I should have known that already, but at least I was glad to hear it today. 

When I think of our veterans, though, I immediately think of my favorite World War II veteran, Grandpa Smith.  He fought in Italy back when you didn't get to go home until the war was finished.  He didn't talk about it very often, but we learned a bit more about some of his experiences fighting "Jerry" when Heidi interviewed him for a history project in high school.  And though he wasn't much of a student as a youngn person, my Grandpa had a lot of common sense. 

His job was to drive a truck, and I remember him telling a story about when he picked up a passenger once.  He happened to be driving a load of dynamite (or something explosive!) covered with a canvas tarp.  Well, his passenger was smoking and tossed his cigarette out the window.  It ignited the tarp and Grandpa flew out back and flung it off his truck bed onto the road . . . thankfully, he knew how to tie quick-release knots, probably from all his farming knowledge.  Grandpa was so mad at the passenger's carelessness that he threw him out!  It was kind of a funny story to hear, and one of the milder of his war memories, I am sure.  When I think about it seriously, though, I am thankful.  If it hadn't been for his common sense, neither my mother, nor any of her siblings, nor any of us grandchildren would be here. 

For those of you who don't know, Grandpa is in heaven now. 

It was also on Veteran's Day last year that Mom and I found the dress.  As a teacher, I had the day off school, and we set out in the morning to visit the dress shops in Saratoga.  The first glimpse into the white-carpeted showroom(?) of Something Bleu nearly took my breath away.   Rows of delicate dresses with exquisite lace detailing hung freely about the room, instead of under plastic covers.  A soft spoken lady led us on our European tour, and as I described my ideal dress to her, I was surprised to find more than one waiting to be tried on.  Yes, many of those dresses were really expensive, but we ended up getting a pretty good deal on mine.  I loved it. 

(photos taken by Rachel Tribunella)