A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass Div (Thanks for your service subsection)

Today will always be Memorial Day for me. I've written about this before.
I won't be working today as a ranger with the Park Service this year; the presence of the COVID-19 virus and my family's vulnerability have caused me to forego my appointment. People always said  "Thank You for your service,".... it always made me uncomfortable. I always answer " It was my honor to serve."
Here's Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers doing A Folded Flag.



Duane Sparks - Guitar, lead vocal, Joe Mullins - Banjo, Mike Terry - Mandolin, Jason
Barie - Fiddle and Randy Barnes - Bass.

Geography Div (National Cemetery subsection)

The National Park Service manages and administers fourteen National Cemeteries. Today is the "official" (don't get me started) Memorial Day.

• Andersonville National Cemetery, Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, Georgia
• Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Greenville, Tennessee
• Antietam National Cemetery, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland (inactive)
• Battleground National Cemetery, Civil War Defenses of Washington, Washington, D.C. (inactive)
• Yorktown National Cemetery, Colonial National Historical Park, Yorktown, Virginia (inactive)
• Fort Donelson National Cemetery, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Dover, Tennessee (inactive)
• Fredericksburg National Cemetery, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefield Memorial National Military Park, Fredericksburg, Virginia (inactive)
• Soldiers' National Cemetery, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (inactive)
• Chalmette National Cemetery, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, New Orleans, Louisiana (inactive)
• Custer National Cemetery, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Crow Agency, Montana (inactive)
• Poplar Grove National Cemetery, Petersburg National Battlefield, Petersburg, Virginia (inactive)
• Shiloh National Cemetery, Shiloh National Military Park, Shiloh, Tennessee (inactive)
• Stones River National Battlefield, Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro, Tennessee (inactive)
• Vicksburg National Cemetery, Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi (inactive)

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass Div

One of my all-time favorite fiddle tunes, Forked Deer, Here done by three masters.



Byron Berline - Fiddle, Dan Crary - Guitar and John Hickman - Banjo

Geography Div (about that population density subsection)

The Red and Orange Sections 

Have Equal Populations

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass Div

When I first heard this song I thought it was going to be another Coal-Minin' thing. Turns out I was wrong. Here's Sideline doing Return to Windy Mountain. 



Steve Dilling - Banjo, Jason Moore  - Bass, Skip Cherryholmes - Guitar, Zack Arnold - Mandolin,
Jamie Harper - Fiddle and Jacob Greer - Guitar.

Appreciation Div (Nurses Subsection)

It's been called to my attention that today is National Nurses Day. So much attention is currently being focused on their sacrifice and dedication during this current pandemic. However, a couple of personal reflections:

In 2007 after having had 25% of my guts removed for cancer, it was the nurses that saw me through critical dehydration, and just wanting for the pain and hurt to end that gave me the the encouragement, and yes, the orders to fight my problems, get out of bed and drag the post of IVs around the ward. Later that year when my system shut down during radiation, these are the people who saved my life and got my kidneys re-started.

In 2013 it was the the nurses in the Brain ICU of Johns Hopkins that kept me appraised of my late wife Diana's condition and progress (and its lack thereof).
It was her nurse, T*** who put her hand on my shoulder early in the morning of 13 September, to say, "Bear, she's gone, you can let go now." and then give me a hug and a tear.

We rarely acknowledge just how much these professionals give of themselves to ease our suffering, urge, and contribute to, our healing our well being and that of our loved ones.

Thank you to all those who cared for me and mine. I know you will be there in the future to help.
🐻 ❤️

Geography Div (Road trip subsection)

Well, two weeks of old "road" maps. Here's a modern trip -- whooda thunk there were that many
Springfields ??

The Most Efficient Road Trip Through Every Springfield In The Country

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass Div (Double Furriners subsection

New album featuring Jean Marie Redon and Luis Gomez. Here's the track called Mr. Gulbo.



 Carol Duran and Raphael Maillet on fiddle, Marta Roma on cello, Josep Traver on guitar, Jesper Rubner Petersen on mandolin, and Maribel Rivero on bass. And, of course, Redon and Gomez on the five.

.... and Mr Redon doing the same number solo ..........

Geography Div (Lost State subsection)

Came across this interesting bit of American history:

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass Div

Audie Blaylock and Redline doing Love Is An Awful Thing from their recent album Originalist.



Audie Blaylock (lead vocal & guitar), Even Ward (banjo), Mason Wright (fiddle) and Reed Jones (upright bass)