Friday, Aug 6 Vietnam Memorial

Just down the road from us is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park.  Martha wanted to visit it as her second son, Henry, served a couple of tours as a Green Beret.  The Junior College that Martha taught at for years offers guided trips during spring break.  She has traveled on many of these including a trip to China and one to Vietnam.  So she was interested in seeing this Memorial, as were we.
The memorial was constructed from 1968-1971 and was the first major Vietnam memorial in the United States.

First Lieutenant David Westphall was among sixteen Marienes killed in an ambush in Con Thien, Vietnam.  The grieving Westphalls used David's insurance policies as a catalyst for the construction of the Peace and Brotherhood Chapel  and eventually the David Westphall Veterans Foundation was formed to support it.
There was an HBO film Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam.  Lots of Kleenex boxes in the theater.   Photographs from some of the 210 units that served in Vietnam and of over 1600 soldiers KIA.

The visitor center was completely renovated in 2009-2010.  It is worth a trip or a retrip if you have been before.
http://www.vietnamveteransmemorial.org/

We got back to the campground in time for the Farmer's market.  We were a little disappointed in the turn out, but did manage to buy cantaloupe and tomatoes.

Al buying a Rocky Ford cantaloupe from a man who knew his cousin and Aunt and Uncle in Colorado.

After lunch, in spite of the rain clouds, we decided to walk into town and get some ice cream.  Just as we got to some of the shops it started raining, so we stayed in one store as long as we could without buying anything waiting for the rain to stop!

Huddled under the doorway waiting for the shower to quit.

Found the ice cream store.  Martha, Steve and Kathi shared a banana split.  The people we shared a table with told us about the balloon festival in Angel Fire the next day.  We then learned that the man was originally from Slovania and spoke German.  Martha was in hog heaven!  They talked for a good 15 mins.  Found it amusing that she could hear everything he said, but can't hear Steve and Al!  :))

Martha and her new friend.

That evening at the camp gound they had an entertainer.  After dinner we sat and listened to him til we got too sleepy!