Flag Day (yesterday, June 14)

Yesterday was Flag Day, and my two grandsons (both in scouts) took part in assisting members of the local American Legion Post in "retiring" old American flags which they collect during the past year.  A large stone fireplace was built for this particular reason, and the scouts filed up to pick up an old flag to be discarded, and under the watchful eyes of 3 firemen plus a lot of American Legion members as well as scout leaders, they  placed the old flag onto the fire, and then back to pick up another flag.  There must have been at least 200 flags, and the process took quite a while.  Once in a while the wind would pick up and they had to wait until it died down.  I had never witnessed anything like that, which probably only happens in smaller communities with active American Legion and Scout leaders.
(Click on file to enlarge it.)

  

 I am lucky to be able to observe the wildlife in this area - deer have always crossed the back yard daily although there seem to be fewer of them lately.  Yesterday when we were driving home we saw a turkey vulture on the road trying to drag a very dead squirrel across.  It must have been heavy because the vulture could only move it a bit further on each attempt, plus he seemed to be feeding each time he had to stop.  Finally Sandy drove around him and we continued on our way.  He seemed only mildly cautious when we went around him, and moved to the grass at the side of the road.  I don't ever see things like that in the suburbs of Sacramento, although in some neighborhoods there are wild turkeys that seem quite unconcerned about traffic. 

This is the weekend when my boys in CA take their kids up to the mountains for a weekend Father's Day campout.  I hope they have a wonderful time.  They will enjoy escaping the heat in Sacramento, for sure.

A happy Father's Day weekend to all the dads out there.