Memorial Day 2008 in pictures

Posted on by
Reply

I was able to attend the ceremony at the Veteran’s Cemetery out near Fort Lincoln today and brought back some photos for those who were unable to make it. I had wool socks and long johns on, because it was cold enough to see my breath when I first got there and started swapping lenses. I’d even tanked up on hot cappuccino before getting out of the truck. There isn’t really much to say about the sacrifice of our military personnel that hasn’t already been said, and far more eloquently than I’m able, so I’ll let my photos do the talking.

The flags were ordered half staff in the morning. As this day is one of pride as well as solemnitude, they would soon return to full position at the end of the ceremony.

Penny Ripperger, 119th Wing, ND Air National Guard. Master of Ceremonies today. Note the ND state capitol building and Blackhawk helicopters in the background…the view from out here is remarkable.

Lots of motorcycles and cars. I got there early, but as I left I saw cars parked along Highway 1806 for nearly a mile in addition to the parking set aside for them. Number of North Dakota Peace Coalition bumper stickers spotted: zero.

Patriot Guard Riders were in attendance. I was lugging camera gear so I used four-wheeled conveyance this morning. Plus, my bikes don’t have cupholders.

Flyover by the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters based in Bismarck.

Major General David Sprynczynatyk. One of the few people with a last name harder to spell than mine. His wife is a city commissioner in Bismarck.

109th Congress. House Resolution 891, declaring that the USA will prevail in the Global War on Terror. Resolution includes: “honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the Global War on Terror, whether as first responders protecting the homeland, as servicemembers overseas, as diplomats and intelligence officers, or in other roles; … declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.” This man, Earl Pomeroy, voted NO. But he never misses a photo op.

Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler, Bismarck High School graduate and current Superintendent of the US Naval Academy. His parents got to see him address the ceremony as keynote speaker today!

The color guard from Standing Rock. The brave Native American warrior is NOT a thing of the past.

Following the rifle volley, the cannon salute. The cannon was fickle today, but the crew performed admirably. Only those of us close up could probably see a few finicky rounds being unloaded. In true North Dakota and Bismarck-Mandan Blog fashion, there’s a windmill in the background.

Flags returned to full staff. We don’t just mourn our fallen military personnel, we rejoice in the honor of their service…and not just those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Anyone who wears the uniform is a true American hero for their service. I for one am grateful for the freedoms I enjoy due to their steadfast defense of our nation.

That’s pretty much it. I have other photos as well, but these tell the story of the day pretty well. All this typing has also helped me regain feeling in my fingers; working a camera with gloves on isn’t very realistic! I hope you enjoyed this look at the ceremony and I ask that you take a moment to consider the brave men and women who carry the safety of our nation and our freedom on their shoulders.

Some gave all

Posted on by
Reply

You can find a copy of this poster on the North Dakota National Guard website by clicking here. This weekend, as we honor the sacrifices of all soldiers who died defending our freedom and our nation. the loss of several North Dakota soldiers in the modern war on terrorism is particularly fresh in memory.

As far as I’m concerned EVERY soldier who ever served receives my honor and respect, and not just on Memorial Day. Does a soldier have to die in battle to sacrifice? No, sir. For instance, the day they enlist they give up a lot of their freedom so that they can be prepared to protect ours. They give of their time. Their families do, too. They pay the toll in injuries in training and on the battlefield, many of them career ending. And, yes, many pay with their lives. How great a cost they pay for our freedom!

There are two memorial ceremonies being held this weekend. For a program of the events taking place at the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery out near Fort Lincoln, click here. Patriot Guard Riders and other riders will be participating. Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler, superintendent of the US Naval Academy, will be the keynote speaker.

It doesn’t have to be Memorial Day for a person to reflect on the sacrifice of US military personnel. Having a day to devote to their memory, however, is a special opportunity to make sure that we express our gratitude as a nation. Oh, and hopefully the flag is flying at the North Dakota State Capitol this year. That was pretty embarassing last year.

No homeschoolers allowed to participate – or, apparently to proofread the rules

Posted on by
Reply

This is a Subway contest that you can find online by clicking here. The contest involves writing a story using one of four starting points provided by Subway. There’s only one caveat:

No home school kids are allowed! No reason is given. Judging from the first thing that jumped out at me when I read his ad, I can see why:

Apparently the ad was typed or proofread by a product of the public school system!

I don’t actually buy into the stereotypes of public vs. home schooled children completely. For instance, I know plenty of smart products of public schools. But I think home schooled kids should be allowed the same opportunities as public school kids. I remember a stink a few years back about a kid who wanted to compete in NDHSAA speech events, for instance. I’m all for it.

The fact of the matter is that home school kids wouldn’t be sneered at or excluded if they weren’t often 1) pretty proficient, and 2) Christians of some sort. I don’t know which of these is a threat to Subway, but it’s a bit of a black eye in this instance nonetheless.

Just in case they (ahem) make the mistake go away, you can click here for a screen capture of the original contest entry page as I found it.

The Grant Marsh situation

Posted on by
Reply

With all the talk about the need to replace the ailing Memorial Bridge, I hadn’t heard a peep about the good ol’ Grant Marsh lately. That’s why I was surprised to see this nastiness above one of the support columns, near the boat landing. That doesn’t look very healthy, does it?

I did a quick web search to see if there were any reports of this repair, but didn’t come up with anything before having to dash out the door. Thankfully someone’s getting after it. I don’t know how much of that eroded away naturally and how much was chipped away to begin repairs, but the fact that it had crumbled so badly is not very reassuring. It looks like the rest of the support is going to get a treatment as well, judging by the scaffolding.

In retrospect, it probably wasn’t such a great idea to have drainage hammering down on the end of that concrete support over the years. I’d chalk that up to a design problem. The black bandaid hanging there is supposed to help divert things, but I’m sure the damage had already been done long ago. Now it’s a matter of trying to patch it up.

I saw a report on TV many years ago (I think I was still with NBC, actually) that talked about the disrepair of the nation’s bridges. I thought it was a little unsettling then, but with two of Bismarck-Mandan’s major bridges showing such extreme wear I’m between unsettled and alarmed! Thankfully it looks like someone’s on the situation, and we don’t have to deal with the thing collapsing before paying attention to the condition of its supports.

In the mean time, maybe I’ll use the Expressway Bridge. 🙂

There’s always the sun

Posted on by
Reply

Not only did I drop the title of a Stranglers song into the title of this post, but I also get to show you what happens when the power plant (is it Milton Young Station? I’m not sure) gets silhouetted by the setting sun! I got out to Double Ditch just in time to capture the sun dipping behind the power plant near Center. The power plant, that is…the sun wasn’t anywhere near Center. Except the center of our solar system!

Windmill at midnight

Posted on by
Reply

I was out running around with a friend last night and, after a brief stop at Applebee’s, we found ourself out by an old familiar waypoint in my GPS: this windmill. It was dark except for the (in this case) inconvenient light of a full moon, so I took a long exposure. You can tell by the streaking of the few visible stars in the photo. Clouds were starting to roll in on the horizon and the moon was ruining any shot with a clear star field in it, so we packed up and kept driving around.

One nice thing about being a couple of Christian guys is that we can be out after midnight and our wives don’t have to worry about whether we’re out drinking, cheatin’ on them, or other nonsense. That’s if a Christian guy is actually walking the walk. In our case, we are. So it was just two dudes in a truck with a camera and some good conversation.

Thursday night moon

Posted on by
Reply

I was loading the boys into the evil gas-hogging SUV tonight when I noticed an incredibly bright moon up in the blue evening sky. I couldn’t resist dashing home and grabbing the camera. While trying to find a clear shot between all those pesky trees on our property, I found a rather interesting branch next to a clearing. That’s when the idea for a neat composition popped into my head. This is the combination of two shots: one with the branch in focus, one with the moon in focus. I combined them in my beloved Photoshop and sent a copy to my friend K-Lo, who put it on KFYR-TV’s weather as part of his Sky Spies feature.

Snow sticks to artificial turf

Posted on by
Reply

I was really excited at the potential of a photograph of the snowy lawn at the state capitol last Saturday. Sadly it was not to be so; the snow wasn’t sticking to the grass as it was some other surfaces, so the white coat wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. While looking for a nice spot overlooking the river, however, I spotted a surface that was quite conducive to a blanket of white: the field at the Bismarck Community Bowl. I’m sure it has to do with the height of natural grass as opposed to the artificial playing surface. Oh well, there will be May snow some other time..despite what the global warming hoaxers want you to believe.

How it’s spelled

Posted on by
Reply


I took today off from work because I’ve got some guys here working on my house. I happened to get sucked into the Discovery Channel program How It’s Made for a little bit. I’m a curious sort, so this program tends to draw me in quite handily. I hit the program guide on my satellite remote and immediately spotted an easy typo: aluminium. That’s a misspelling to us Americans, but in many other places it’s the proper spelling of good ol’ element #13.  In any case, it caught my eye.

It’s a disorder. Really. I often spot typos in a flash, many times in my peripheral vision. Last night when Jay Leno was doing funny newspaper clippings, I spotted a typo in something that was up for two seconds or so and wasn’t related to the joke. The National Atomic Museum I posted about earlier? I spotted typos on the placards there right away. I even took a picture of one, because I’m a nerd:

I’m not saying I don’t make the occasional typo, or otherwise plant my foot firmly in my mouth. On the rare occasion when I go back to proofread my work, I tend to spot most of those as well. But it is an odd “gift” to possess, and can cause one to find one’s self nitpicking the Discovery Channel.

Where Eagles Fly

Posted on by
Reply

I couldn’t get the Sammy Hagar tune out of my head Saturday as a friend and I hiked our way up to an eagle’s nest…thus the title of this post. It was COLD, too! We stood nearby as a pair of eagles nervously checked us out. We kept our distance in an effort to minimize our disruption of their routine, and took lots of photos of them perching in the trees and circling overhead. Sadly, it was a very gray day…so I blued up the sky a bit in Photoshop. Now that my friend has clued me in on the location of this nest, I hope to be able to visit them often! Maybe I’ll come away with some cool eagle photos, and if I’m lucky they’ll grow accustomed to being photographed.