ALMOST FORGOT TO REMEMBER

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE SOMERS RECORD (06-10-21)- Please remember small business in your town during this coronavirus pandemic

     To some, Memorial Day means a weekend at the shore, or at a summer house. We decided to get away to, (wait for it), Poughkeepsie. We didn't want to travel too far or get mired in traffic, and it was going to be a rainy weekend at the summer house, and further, we don't have a summer house. Every hotel in the tri-state area was either booked or charging exorbitant rates, but we managed to find a reasonably-priced motel that appeared to a great place to hole up after committing a series of felonies. That doesn't bother me, I've stayed in great hotels, and I've stayed in lousy hotels, and the shower head doesn't come up past the small of my back in either one. 

     The crappy weather didn't stop us from going to the local tavern, and proof of vaccinations meant no masks. It was so vibrant it felt like the scene in "The Wizard of Oz" where the movie goes from black-and-white to color. The evening felt shot out of a cannon and it was a pleasure to see, but it's worth noting that 20-something girls with masks on used to screech more quietly. 

     A gaggle of them on a bachelorette's night out had me surrounded within seconds. "We're on a scavenger hunt...." "And let me guess," I interrupted, "You're looking for either an 'old dude' or an actual scavenger, correct?" "NO," they all said at once, "Is your name 'Roman?'" I'm of Swedish descent, but I suggested, "You might have to go all the way to Rome to find someone whose name is Roman, but there's a Rome right here in New York. It's about 150 miles from here." (They eventually found a guy named Roman, and I'm assuming the wedding was back on.)

     The next day's weather was still uncooperative, so we hung out at the indoor pool for a while, then ventured out to browse the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College. It contains works dating from the Hudson River School to the modern masters. Highly recommended, especially for rainy days in Poughkeepsie. There was a Jackson Pollack, and I'd like to think I could do something almost as good by parking my car's leaky oil pan over a tight canvas for a couple days. Well, why didn't I? Because I couldn't fit my car through the art studio door, smarty-pants. There are also works by O'Keefe and Picasso, among many others. I always wonder what would have happened if Picasso became an architect instead.

     When it cleared up we went for a walk with Gidget-the-Dog at the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary in New Paltz. It felt good to get a little exercise, and I feel more physically fit if my clothes physically fit. The property has at least 120 species of birds and fields full of wildflowers surrounding a large pond. We saw at least four and twenty blackbirds, and also a great blue heron, and that's a lot of name to live up to.

     After we got home I realized I had lost one of my sandals at the motel pool. Maybe someday the Beautiful Princess who worked at the front desk would find me. "I know why you're here!" I'd say. "See that zucchini over there? One magical night it turned into a Dodge Dart and carried me to your motel! You see that football cap and baseball jacket? They turned into a beautiful ball tuxedo. You see those ants on the kitchen drainboard? They aren't in the story but I can't figure out how to get rid of them. You found my other sandal didn't you, and now I can live happily ever after!" She says, "No, your credit card was denied."

     This year a trip to the Art Center and nature sanctuary made for an uncharacteristically quiet Memorial Day weekend. But you don't have to have a parade or go anywhere boisterous on Memorial Day if you don't feel like it. All you have to do is remember, all by yourself if you want. Remember what it must have been like, remember what someone's family feels, remember what it was all for. And at least for one day, don't forget what Democracy looks like.