Collectible Moments at the New Digs or Sort of a Memorial Day Post

This post has been fermenting since Mother's Day and now it's a Memorial Day post. As high school student, Memorial Day was about concerts and school assemblies. The assembly was always in the Lane Stadium. The band would play American Patrol and a speaker would talk to the students about some relevant topic.

When we lived in Des Plaines, we often visited my Dad's grave - he was a veteran after all. Then we would officially open the Prospect Avenue Bar.

The move to the new digs has helped tidy-up our lives. We cleared out piles of stuff that we don't use and don't need anymore. During the process, I've run across lots of mementos and many collectibles. One of my favorites is my dad's Algebra book from his old World War II Army days. The book was tucked away for at least 15 years. I don't know why I never looked at it closely.

Obviously, I am the the family math person; my sibs are the real musicians. I never even considered a musical career after high school. I knew that my talent for music was minor. My dad was the musician, the band director, the performer, and the teacher. Connecting him to math is a little weird.

I guess my father had to take Algebra when he was in the Army I can't imagine why he really needed it,especially in hindsight. He was a great music teacher but this old book with his writing connects me to him when he was 18, the dancer's age and the age of many of my graduating students. It's a snap shot in time that I apprecite now more than when I received the book.