5/28/2007 ~ Memorial Day

On The Rio: Paul Pena ~ New Train



What is the meaning of Memorial Day? Is it merely a three day escape from our worldly duties? Or, is it the official beginning of a summer filled with bbq's, beer and lemonade? Is selling more hot dogs at the ballpark the overriding clarification?


I took a moment today to remember the many souls, not only the American soldiers, sacrificed in wars, past and present (just as breaking news reports another 12 killed in a car bombing in Baghdad).


I finished another jigsaw puzzle; the fourth since I've been in China. This one was quite difficult despite thinking it would go much faster than others.

I went wandering around Shanghai to see any interesting sites that remain before I depart (only one week to go!).

My first stop was the Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), founder of the Kuomintang Party that sought to replace the ailing Qing Dynasty with democratic leadership, lived here with his wife, Soong Qingling, from 1919 to 1925.

It's a fairly modest house with simple furnishings. Innumerable historic meetings were held here, including that between madame Sun's sister, Meiling, and her future husband, Chiang Kaishek.

I also went to the former residence of Zhou Enlai, who along with his wife Deng Yingchao, managed and promoted Shanghai's underground Communist movement from here in 1946-47. Meetings were held here in the ground-floor reception room, while the upper floors contained offices and dormitories for Party workers.