There is an old Volkswagon van that is usually parked down the street from our house. I like it. And I like its stickers. In addition to being a cheerful pop of orange, it is also a time traveling machine which sends me spiraling and sputtering right back into my childhood. A childhood spent traveling back roads and more often than not waiting on the side of those same roads for tow trucks (we had several infamous VW vans). It also reminds me of our fabulous British camper trip a few years ago. Luckily no tow trucks were needed at that time.
We are off to do a bit of our own back road wandering and thanks to the orange VW van, I am adding Yonder Mountain String Band to our traveling tunes.
I never would have guessed that we would be spending our first day of spring break sloshing around in wet snow, but that's exactly what we did. And I never would have suspected that on the first night of Passover, I'd be craving gumbo, but I was. Seriously, can we be done with winter? Please! Please!! Please!!! I feel like Mo Willems' famous pigeon in high level begging mode.. please let spring begin!
When we made our Veteran's Day visit to Arlington Cemetary, we went with a specific purpose in mind. We were seeking this brave soldier of kindness. Upon first arriving, we looked up his name and were told he was in Section 60. We had no idea what or where Section 60 was, but as we got closer it quickly became clear that there was a very different feeling in this section of Arlington. Unlike the stark orderliness of the older sections, 60 is heartbreakingly packed with photos, flowers, children's drawings, bottles of beer, and offerings of favorite foods.
Section 60 is where the most recent losses are gathered. It is pulsing with grief, love, pride, anger, and memories, lots of memories. I recently came across the HBO documentary of Section 60. The documentary is good, but if you happen to find yourself at Arlington any time in the near future, take the extra time to find Section 60. Every American should visit Section 60.
