It's Graduation Day on Parris Island!

   When we went to the Visitor's Center after we arrived here the gal at the front desk informed us that this was graduation week.  John said right away that he would like to witness the graduation on Friday.  So we got up early today and left Harvey by 8:30.  The main bleachers were already full by the time we got there, so we sat in the shaded end of the parade field which resembled an open-air stadium while the Marine Band was already playing.

 
There must have been about 200 young men and women becoming Marines today.  What an accomplishment!!

Don't look happy yet, but soon to be Marines!

  It was a very moving ceremony.  I couldn't help wondering what kind of backgrounds and circumstances some of these young men and women had come from and how proud and in awe their parents had to be.  John mentioned how sad he felt for those who probably didn't have anyone there due to distance or just non concern.  The ceremony lasted till about 10:30 then we went over to the museum gift shop to pick up a few gifts for my Dad.   Because the weather was a little "iffy" we decided to head out to the Marine Air Station that we were going to visit last evening.  Some of the Marines were very enthusiastically having a carwash that we just couldn't refuse, and for your donation they gave you a hot dog, chips, and a soda, too!  We joked with them that we were going to come back with Harvey and they pleaded with us to do just that.  You see, their sergeants told them that for every larger truck they could convince to come through, they would give them a day off.  I wonder how many days off a 35 ft motor home would give them??  But we decided not to put ourselves through the hassle of disconnecting, putting everything away inside and then having to set up all over again.  It would have been entertaining, though!  The rain and possible storms held off, so we decided to go to the Shrimp Festival that Beaufort is having this weekend.  You can buy tickets for $1 and sample all kinds of shrimp dishes with your tickets.  There is also an arts and crafts show.  Oh Boy!!  But just as we were about to leave the storm clouds rolled in.  My old flip phone has been acting up so we decided to drive to the closest AT&T store which was in Hilton Head about 45 minutes away.  According to the radar we figured by the time we got back from there the skies would clear and we could go to the Shrimpfest.  But, boy, were we ever wrong.  Things didn't work out at the AT&T store (it's a long story) and it rained all the way back home.  Hopefully we'll make it to the festival tomorrow night.  We were so hungry by now that we stopped at Pizza Hut for supper.  It really did hit the spot!  We headed back to Harvey and played one game of Hand and Foot.  Of course, I won!  I think tomorrow night I'll teach John to play, "Go, Fish.".