Sunday, May 26, 2013

Observing Decorating Day

Today we drove up to the Florida National Cemetery near Bushnell. Jerry's dad is buried there and both of us donated our dad's casket flags for them to fly on the appropriate holidays. So, even though my dad is buried in Arkansas, I know his flag is flying in Florida so it's like visiting him in a way.
 

 We start at the flower stand about a mile from the cemetery entrance. Because it's a busy holiday the folks were there but sometimes when we come there is a lock box and they use the honor system for folks to pay for the flowers they take.

The entrance and the entire cemetery is lined with flags that once draped the caskets of deceased vets. It's really a moving sight.





 Jerry at his dad's headstone. Each burial site will/can hold two people. The first to go is engraved on the front of the headstone and the spouse on the back when they pass. When we first started coming the backs were blank but they are starting to fill.
 Each section looks like this - very uniform. The grounds are well maintained. It's a really nice place with an office to help you find graves, restrooms, etc, For someone who visits graves for genealogical purposes, this one is top notch.


We drove out to Bayport after visiting the cemetery and ate at the Bayport Inn & Restaurant. This is a photo of my Fried Fiesta minus the French fries, salad, bread. They do a fantastic job on the scallops.

2 comments:

Julie said...

What a nice thing to donate the flags! Your Dad is at a beautiful place!

Julie said...

Jerry's Dad, that is!