I had some time prior to my ACA conference to sight see. I got the feeling the entire time I was outside my normal element. Here are a few thoughts why.
-The ocean, it is on the wrong side. Really, I have been living in The Netherlands so long now that it seems like the ocean should always be at the sunset not at the sunrise.
– Things are slower in Isle of Palms, SC. The speed posted on the roads is 25- 35 miles per hour and over the bridge back into Mount Pleasant is 55 mph. It just seems sooooo slow.
– People seem openly more friendly. I had several conversations about almost nothing with people here. People seemed actually interested in where you come from maybe because it is a tourist town and maybe because everyone is from somewhere else.
– It is hard as heck to find things if you don’t have a gps. Not sure why other than they camouflage all signage here in SC. They also seem to hide signage in the trees making it hard for all the rest of us to find where the chain stores are located.
– Mostly while I have been here in the states I find that I feel very out of place with how I feel about the direction of our country and how many people feel about the current administration. The current politics of this country.
– I had two people here thank me for my service when they found out I served in the military. What is nice is being recognized as a woman veteran. I don’t get this often and when I do I come close to tears. It was incredibly hard to serve so many years and then when I got out I never know how people would react to my service. It hasn’t always been positive. On this weekend of honoring veterans it is nice to know that some people feel our service to our country is important and worthy.
Thank you to those of you who thank our veteran population no matter their gender.
On this Veteran’s Day weekend:
I think of my two children who are now deployed to the countries of Qatar and Kuwait.
The wonderful guys and gals I have had the honor to serve with over the years.
For those families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
As I kayak this weekend I will think of them…all of them.
The Cedar Journal 
Thank you for your service and thank you for sharing!
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Dana- Also thank you for all your years of service too! Hope all is well with you.😊
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I am very appreciative for all the many contributions from our women and men who have served this great country. My father served and always feel honored to learn from his experiences. Thank you for your service and extend my best to your children likely in harms way.
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I too would like to thank you for your service and the service of all the other veterans who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy. Thank You!
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Thanks Dan. It means so much more than you could imagine.
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Yes, thank you for your service! I am wowed by the depth of your experience and the perspective it offers your writing. Thank you!
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Thank you for your service and for caring so deeply about our country. As far as your observations about political viewpoints, it depends on where you spent the majority of your time. There is definitely great division in this country.
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