Memorial Day Weekend 2020

This was a rather unusual Memorial Day weekend for Boulder. Typically ~50,000 people would be running and walking the BolderBoulder on Memorial Day, with the course lined with cheering spectators, bands, belly dancers - you name it - all culminating in the CU stadium where Memorial Day ceremonies take place. These ceremonies include skydivers - each carrying a flag of one of the branches of the Armed Services, testimonials from veterans, a 21-gun salute and taps. With the stands filled with runners and families, it is a very moving event. This year, the year of the coronavirus, was much much quieter.

So, no 50,000 people descending on Boulder - BUT! - we did break my brother out of the senior apartment complex he lives in and brought him over to the back porch of our house to celebrate his 70th birthday on Sunday. A momentous occasion - both for the birthday and for the first trip out of his apartment complex since Colorado's Stay At Home Order went into effect. The big surprise for Dave was a zoom call with a gang of cousins, friends, Millers and VaughanMillers. This photo was taken when everybody sang happy birthday to him when I brought out the brownie/cake:

The next day, Monday, would have been the BolderBoulder. Since the real deal couldn't be held, the BB folks offered a free "VirtuALL" BolderBoulder. A whole lot of folks - from 20 countries and all 50 states according to the BolderBoulder website - participated in the virtual race, including several of my running buddies and I. We each ran our own 10k course and, according to texts and emails, we all had a grand time of it. My course consisted of 3+ times around a loop that just happened to take me past Paul's house each of those 3 times. I started my "race" at 6 a.m. and lo-and-behold as I came past Paul's approaching mile 2, there he was outside and at the ready to cheer me on. Kendall soon joined him and I had myself quite the cheering section for loops 2 and 3! Great fun!

Later that day, after going home and freshening up a bit, I walked back to Paul's house to help him weed his yard (it was the least I could do after his cheering efforts in the very early morn). On the way, I saw a fox! We had seen foxes in late winter in this patch of land but hadn't spotted any for a couple of months.  An exciting turn of events!

Of course, Memorial Day is about remembering. All of the men in the prior generation of my family were involved in WWII. We do remember.

My uncles: Porter Vaughan & Bill Murphey

Brothers: Porter and Paul Vaughan

My dad, Paul Vaughan, RCAF pilot, and Spitfire

My dad while temporarily stationed in Egypt