Flag Day in the USofA

June 14, 2009 was flag day, here in the USofA.

In my travels around this nation I look for and photograph US flags as they flutter and flap in the wind. Some are large, some are small. Some are large and flown high on poles some are small, or smaller, and are on businesses and on private homes. To my dismay many are being flown with torn and ragged edges. It seems the pride in flying the FLAG once installed is often neglected. Out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps it is the, I display our colors but have no time to inspect and replace it, or, maybe the cost is too much and will do with the current flag and not think of the disrespect being given it.
A torn and ragged flag could be an honored flag, if it recieved those wounds in battle, or while being flown in a war zone. Those flags can be shown repesct but not by continuing to fly them.
Many of the worn and tattered flags are being flown on city and state properties. That is a sorry situation.

Wilbur Wright High School

Wilbur Wright High School 2009

Wilbur Wright High School located at 1361 Huffman Ave in east Dayton, Ohio opened its doors as a high school in 1940.

I spent four years, 1956 to 1960, in attendance there. I have many memories connected with that school. Most are reasonably good. I managed to go from year to year without having to redo any. I did get really close to it because of American History. However the teacher managed to convince me to pass it or take it again. Whew! I passed with better than usual grade. Fright does much to give cause to action.

I like to think I was at least an average student, in grades if not in spirit. Being permitted to select the subjects in which to be educated in, I chose what was, to me, the easiest. I was not preparing to attend college so I took the required courses and nothing much more. I took art class, all four years, with Mrs. Pound. In my first year she would have given me an A in ink spilling. Other than that I achieved great grades in her class.

Freshman and sophomore years were years I did nothing special. Did not get involved in any extra school activities. In my junior year I woke up and retro selected some courses that I not should have picked at the beginning of high school. If I had not I may not have had the, reasonable, success in income and supporting a family. Education and what the education consists of is important. The school of hard-knocks can teach much but transfer of information by way of school is much easier and faster. Not that I have been instructed the hard way.

Anyway the school is soon to be demolished and along with it the physical icon the students that graduated from there have memories of. There will be no chance to walk the halls and think of all that took place in the years spent there. To look around and think, it seemed much larger then. To remember the dances, the plays, the detention, all those things that affected life. All those important and not so important events that took place in and around the building. Of course the memories will continue until the last graduate has expired.

There is Diana Schwieterman who is working hard at maintaining a memorabilia room and is having to move it from the WWHS building and locate it elsewhere. Diana is power behind keeping WWHS alive with arranging alumnae trips and events. Working hard at maintaining the memory of the school active. Kudos for Diana.

Is this your day?

June 7, 2009;

Is this the day you have looked forward to for so long?
Is this the day you have dreaded for many weeks or more?
Is this it the day that completes all the waiting?
Is this the day when you realize waiting is futile?
To go ahead with whatever you have been dreaming of.
To try for "American idol"?
To try for "Do you think You Can Dance"?
Is this the day you reach for the gold ring,
the day you try for the stars?
Is this the day of all days?
the day you do what you have wished for, have dreamed of, have felt you were created for?
If you feel this is the day, then do all you have to do to achieve the dream.
This is not my day as I don't have the dreams it takes to be great but I do dream.
I dream of happiness for others and of course for me.
To dream the impossible dream... We can dream it, but dreaming does not do what belief and
ambition can do.

The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.- James Branch Cabell