It's Memorial Day and a time of remembering. Also of eating. That isn't meant to be flippant. Doug and I are thinking of his parents, my dad and others. We certainly want to remember all the vets who are living with PTSD, along with all their families.

Our day has been simple -- no grills, no tri-tip or ribs, no barbecue sauce dripping down our chins. Just a day of planning for Bruges and Vienna, and for phone service along the way. Tonight, we're having a summer feast of hummous, tabouli, and all the strawberry shortcake (the homemade biscuit-type) we can handle. How would M. F. K. Fisher say it? I don't know, but I certainly feel it. Good to the marrow.