By the year 1868 a day of remembrance had begun as a time to place flowers over the graves of soldiers who had died in battle. Today it is a time to remember all those who died during their wartime service to this great nation. From the Civil War to the wars of today, we unite and give somber respect to those men and women in honor of that sacrifice. The Big Idaho Potato Tour could be in no other place, than the center stage. As a Veteran of a foreign war, I feel both removed and connected to the event in ways I cannot safely express without fear of melting completely down in a sea of sorrow. The day has great importance to me because I totally understand and am not able to hide myself from the day’s implication. I take a great pride, therefore, in serving the Big Idaho Potato Tour as the driver during it’s appearance in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
We were joined by a longtime honorary member of our team who lives in northern Virginia, Jacob Walker. Jacob and his sister Leia joined the team as honorary members a few years back. Leia couldn’t make it to D.C. and we do hope she gets another chance to visit with us this year. Jacob did make it and he and his dad got to ride in the Parade with us. We were lead by the Special Forces Association: Chapter XI-The National Capital Chapter who in true Army fashion, marched the whole way. There was a moment where we were stopped behind a live performance of the band Daughtry, then the parade continued on. I didn’t know it at the time, but we were in the back ground of that live feed. (Good thing I kept my pants on.) We ended our D.C. time with Rodney and Jacob Walker by joining them for dinner. Jacob was hungry from telling so many people to eat more Idaho Potatoes.
Our next stop was in St Louis, Mo. We took a trip to the City Museum for some good clean adventurous fun. You’ll have to visit there for yourself, if you hope to understand the coolness of it all. It isn’t easy to express. Start with an old factory type building filled with many floors of empty space. Fill each space with things to crawl over, under, or through and you’ve only just begun to grasp the sheer breadth of opportunities of exploration. We didn’t get to stay long though because we also wanted to see the Cardinals get a win on their home turf. Game night was a huge success although it was a very close game. The Cardinals won 0-2, but we couldn’t stay long to celebrate. We had another show to visit.
Question: What goes good with Idaho Potatoes? Answer: Effingham
Effingham, Illinois to be precise. The Big Idaho Potato visited Effingham, Illinois for Fun Fest 2017! Hundreds of VW’s were featured, including a Herbie look-a-like VW beetle. There was also a VW store, food, games, and of course our giant spud! Visitors could also sign a signature board for a local Effingham charity called Harmony Playground. They are fund-raising to build an accessible playground for children with disabilities. The #TaterTwins almost decided to leave #andLarry to finish out the tour alone, when they stumbled upon a Red VW convertible for sale. Luckily for us all, they decided he couldn’t be left alone…the world wasn’t ready.
Next up for the Tater Team is a week off, back in Boise Idaho with family. I’m not sure what the #TaterTwins are planning for their time off, but #AndLarry is going to hang out with his little dog Scruffy. Dog Park here we come.
Larry Bathe aka #AndLarry aka Larbear Driver/Ambassador
