Every year on or close to Memorial Day (we try to avoid the crowds) we visit all the graves of my parents and grand parents. Joseph and Lorelei had never been to a cemetery before so they didn't know what to expect. We told them about cemeteries and why people are buried there. We visited or nephew Jeff Thompson's grave first at Ft Snelling National Cemetery.
Joseph got to thinking and it bothered him to the point of tears when he saw the thousands of grave stones there. I don't think he had ever thought about the entire life cycle yet and had never experienced a death of a loved one. We told him that one day we would be there too. It was a very tender moment. But we made more visits to other grave sites he was okay. Just the initial thoughts of dead people buried in the ground got to him.
Then we visited my parents. Lorelei had a tender moment too as we told them these were my mom and dad are buried.
Then we were off the Lakeside Cemetery. We drove past my old house on Dupont Ave S by Lake Harriet and by the Rose Gardens where they attended the wedding of their aunt and uncle Cami and Jared Barnhart. We stopped at my maternal grandparents, Francis and Clarence Bigelow. Notice the big stone in the background? That is how we know we have found the spot.
Then to Hillside Cemetery to take care of my sister Sharon's grave site. Last time we were there it took us 10-15 minutes to find it because it was almost completely covered by grass and had sunk down about four inches. We cleaned it up the best we could and I was temped to life the stone up when we saw some cemetery workers. I asked if I could raise the stone. They said that is why they were there. So in five minutes it was raised to the proper height. Sharon only lived one month and died from spina bifida. My mom never got to touch or hold her because they took her away immediately. She only got to look at her from the other side of the glass. Those were the rules back then.
This cemetery has a civil war section close to Sharon that is the place for the Memorial Day celebrations. Since no one else was there, it was out time on the cannon.
Hi everybody! Get out of the way or I will have to blast ya.
Even girls can climb on it.
Joseph now became the photographer so that Gramma and Grampa could get their picture taken. Good one.
Joseph ventured to the business end of the cannon while I hung on.
Then we were off to visit my paternal grandmother, Gunda Larsen and my auntie Anna Olson and her husband Kunt. My dad Anna and Gunda were on one passport when they came to America. They took the Norwegian boat Stavangerfjord from Kristiansand and one day out into the ocean, the boat sank. Everyone had to abandon ship. The boat was tipping over and most of the life boats on the side closest to the water were already launched. A crew member said there were lots more lifeboats on the other side. They made their way there but had to crawl over the railing and walk from port hole to port hole towards the lifeboat, since the boat was almost laying flat on the water now. They spent 24 hours on the lifeboat before being rescued. They were hungry and cold. That is when one of the rescuers told them there was food and blankets stowed in the lifeboat compartments that they didn't know about (no crew member was with them). They were then placed on the sister ship Bergensfjord. Quite the adventure for coming to the land of the free. Well it is not all free - we still have to pay taxes.
Then it was time for fun pictures.
We did a number on these Keebler cookies. Guess who?
It's me.
We are hiding.
Peek a boo.
Joseph got to thinking and it bothered him to the point of tears when he saw the thousands of grave stones there. I don't think he had ever thought about the entire life cycle yet and had never experienced a death of a loved one. We told him that one day we would be there too. It was a very tender moment. But we made more visits to other grave sites he was okay. Just the initial thoughts of dead people buried in the ground got to him.
Then we visited my parents. Lorelei had a tender moment too as we told them these were my mom and dad are buried.
Then we were off the Lakeside Cemetery. We drove past my old house on Dupont Ave S by Lake Harriet and by the Rose Gardens where they attended the wedding of their aunt and uncle Cami and Jared Barnhart. We stopped at my maternal grandparents, Francis and Clarence Bigelow. Notice the big stone in the background? That is how we know we have found the spot.
Then to Hillside Cemetery to take care of my sister Sharon's grave site. Last time we were there it took us 10-15 minutes to find it because it was almost completely covered by grass and had sunk down about four inches. We cleaned it up the best we could and I was temped to life the stone up when we saw some cemetery workers. I asked if I could raise the stone. They said that is why they were there. So in five minutes it was raised to the proper height. Sharon only lived one month and died from spina bifida. My mom never got to touch or hold her because they took her away immediately. She only got to look at her from the other side of the glass. Those were the rules back then.
This cemetery has a civil war section close to Sharon that is the place for the Memorial Day celebrations. Since no one else was there, it was out time on the cannon.
Hi everybody! Get out of the way or I will have to blast ya.
Even girls can climb on it.
Joseph now became the photographer so that Gramma and Grampa could get their picture taken. Good one.
Joseph ventured to the business end of the cannon while I hung on.
Then we were off to visit my paternal grandmother, Gunda Larsen and my auntie Anna Olson and her husband Kunt. My dad Anna and Gunda were on one passport when they came to America. They took the Norwegian boat Stavangerfjord from Kristiansand and one day out into the ocean, the boat sank. Everyone had to abandon ship. The boat was tipping over and most of the life boats on the side closest to the water were already launched. A crew member said there were lots more lifeboats on the other side. They made their way there but had to crawl over the railing and walk from port hole to port hole towards the lifeboat, since the boat was almost laying flat on the water now. They spent 24 hours on the lifeboat before being rescued. They were hungry and cold. That is when one of the rescuers told them there was food and blankets stowed in the lifeboat compartments that they didn't know about (no crew member was with them). They were then placed on the sister ship Bergensfjord. Quite the adventure for coming to the land of the free. Well it is not all free - we still have to pay taxes.
Then it was time for fun pictures.
We did a number on these Keebler cookies. Guess who?
It's me.
We are hiding.
Peek a boo.
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