No, it's not the Blue Angels flying out of formation.
LOOK AGAIN!
It was these guys that buzzed over our heads this evening as we sat at a picnic table in Suson County Park, off Highway 21 on Wells Road in South County. This is one of the most beautiful parks in St. Louis, complete with stocked fishing lakes, a playground, picnic areas, and barnyard animals.
The large animals are turned out to pasture in the evening. These gorgeous horses were contentedly grazing, swishing their tails and snorting at the gnats.
My honey and I sat lakeside and watched the sunset. There were children, teens and adults fishing all around the lakes. This is the roof of the barn where the goats, ponies, sheep, ducks and other small animals reside in stalls during visiting hours. Below lake level in the rear of the barn is a large fenced compound where those animals are released to roam at night.
The breeze was delightful. the scenery tranquil. Just what I needed. I sat quietly and read a magazine, watched people and prayed for the many car accident victims in our area.
Emergency vehicle sirens blared all day. We live near a major highway, so it's not unusual to hear the occasional ambulance zip by. But this morning about 8:30, we heard one emergency vehicle after another, must have been a dozen, and they stopped close by. Then we noticed the highway traffic had come to a standstill and was being rerouted down our main street. As it turned out, a drunk driver had struck a state trooper who had just exited his vehicle and was approaching a driver he had pulled over. The alleged drunk driver's car was lodged against the guard rail, its roof peeled back.
Not an hour later, the sirens wailed again, numerous emergency vehicles flew to the multi-car pileup down the street at a busy intersection at the four way stoplight.
On our way to the park, we heard those sirens again. Numerous emergency vehicles exited the highway and reentered and sped back down in the opposite direction. We passed the third scene, a car in a ditch on its smashed roof, several young males milling about in a daze.
Life is precious and we don't realize how quickly everything can change. The trooper, a young married father of three is in serious condition. I don't know about the others. These accidents were local. In the grand scheme, I'm sure the death toll will rise on this holiday weekend, beginning of summer fun. One more day of fun folks. Be careful if you are on the roads. And no matter how you feel about the current/past wars, remember what the holiday is about. Our veterans deserve respect.
