Memorial Day in Birkenstocks

Our first Memorial Day in Oregon (as residents) is significant to us because when we moved to Fennville 34 years ago, Memorial Day was the first holiday recorded on film and was our first opportunity to meet comunity residents. Fennville memories include Amy and Sandra as three year olds walking around the end of 59th St. so as to see the band and all the old cars. I do not remember the speaker, but do recall the feeling of Community.

Yesterday, Aleene and I ventured to the park near us (really close to Amy) where the community recognized vets. There were a couple of hundred people there...kids, old timers (VFW and American Legion), parents, Newberg police and a few active duty Marines. It was an hour long service with the usual, speech, songs (no band or parade) and the calling of the roll of those killed in action in WW I & II as well as Korea and Vietnam. They have not lost anyone in the Gulf Wars...that I reccall, but the roll call was long.

I fit in with my ragwool socks, lether sandals (not Birkenstock) and Navy Veteran ball cap. Everyone, it seemed had a uniform on (my Navy uniforms are gone...completely gone with this move.) To say that everyone wears Birkenstocks is not true. But significant numbers do, if you pay attention. So I wear sandals as often as I can. I wear them because they are comfortable and when you have little or no feeling in the soles of your feet, shoes feel restrictive to the enth degree. Our fill in pastor (who is our age and we have been out to dinner with) had them on last week in the pulpit. When I went up to sing in the choir, I was taken aback by Ed's sandals with his otherwise formal attire.

We came home from the park and did some gardening things (roses are really blooming and I will upload some photos of our bushes to Flickr soon) and then the kids walked over late in the day for an hour. Tru wanted to play catch...and is doing quite well...and Asher was putting in time before he got ready for bed. These are the times when we really feel affirmed in our decision to move here. We are close enough to give respite to the parents and to interact with the kids on a regular basis.

You do not have to wear sandals to live here...it is just part of the local flavor. Oregon is not a monolith just as Michigan nor Pennsylvania are, either. There are dominant cultures and attitudes, but you feel a sense of community whether or not you wear Birkenstocks here, but it helps.