* * * * *

                             The Funeral, Part II

The funeral started at 10:00 am (“It is teh early!” I commented upon waking
up this morning). The service was packed with people and Joe delivered a
wonderful eulogy for his father. Afterwards we piled into our cars for the
vehicular cortège to the cemetary.

As we were driving (which seemed like for miles and miles along unpaved
roads), Gregory remarked “There's no here here! It's not on the map!” And
indeed, we were somewhere, I suppose, still in the state of Florida, but the
exact location, I have no idea. We just followed the rest of the cars to the
cemetary.

The service at the cemetary was moving. The American Legion Post № 241 [1]
conducted the second part of the service; the eulogy of Joe Sr.'s service to
his country, presenting the American Flag to Joe's Mom, the 21-gun salute—
very powerful stuff.

Final farewells were said, and the scene shifts back to the family farm
(nearly everybody changed into causual clothing prior to or just after,
arriving) for more food and conversation that lasted well into the night.

[Shooting the breeze] [2]
[3]
Left to right: Marty, Joe, Kurt.

[More shooting the breeze] [4]
[5]
Left to right: Larry, Gregory, me.

[With so much shooting of the breeze, I'm surprised there was any air left]
[6]
[7]
Left to right: Joe's Mom, Joe (sitting), Kurt, me, Gregory, Larry, Marty.
Except for Kurt, we all knew each other since high school (and I've known Joe
since middle school).


Afterwards, Gregory, Kurt, Bunny and I headed over to Joe's house (in Blounts
Town, about forty minutes south of the family farm) and hung out for a few
hours. Tomorrow, we head back home.

[1] http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Sneads/memorial-post-no-241-inc-the-american-legion-2043074.aspx
[2] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/23/thumb.marty-joe-kurt.jpg
[3] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/23/marty-joe-kurt.jpg
[4] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/23/thumb.larry-gregory-sean.jpg
[5] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/23/larry-gregory-sean.jpg
[6] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/23/thumb.all.jpg
[7] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/23/all.jpg

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