Memorial Day = Watermelon Seed Spitting Contests

Not to down play the importance of Memorial Day, because we honor those who have fought for our freedom and died. I realized the importance; I was in marching band, we went to the cemetery every year and played the Star Spangled Banner and listened as someone played taps. I do honor those who have fought bravely for my freedom.

It is this freedom that lets us have cookouts and watermelon seed spitting contests.

Tricia brought a 20 lb. watermelon, fully seeded, to our cookout yesterday. She was kind enough to cut it up for me while I was busy doing other prep work. It was a huge watermelon. Very juicy too.

In the contest, participants stood behind the sidewalk square, on the furthest side of the driveway (in this picture). So that looks to be about six squares (I just verified by looking out my window) away. And so the competition began. Tricia, Sami, Jeff, Colleen, Deanne, Diane, Mike and myself were the competitors. We were pretty excited when the furthest spit was four squares away. Then Diane took her turn (she holds the record for cherry seed spitting) and sure enough her watermelon seed shot off to five squares away. An entire square further then anyone else's! Her technique was different, so I decided I would give it one more go with her technique, spitting with extra emphasis on noise on the exit. Sure enough, my seed went one square further!

Here is the winning seed. I am now the Watermelon Seed Spitting Memorial Day Uebbing Cookout winner!

God Bless the U.S.A.

Now I have to get back to work!