Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI

The day started like any other travel day: woke up thinking about what I’m going to forget, checked the flight - yup, “on time”! Get the bus to the airport! Get the text message - “your flights been delayed”. Well that means we have a little more time for breakfast!

View from our villa!

The flight is full and “we need some volunteers to check their carry-ons”. (time passes) “did we tell you there is no jetway in St Thomas”…”you’ll need to carry your bags down the steps”…”they’re slippery”…”it’s raining”…”it’s a long way to the terminal”…”thank you, we have enough volunteers now!”

It’s a pouring rain cloud burst as we get off the plane.  We get one of those van taxis for the ride to Red Hook to get the ferry to St John.  By the time we have dropped off a few passengers and circumvented the Festival, and the cruise ship traffic, we miss the ferry.  Well that means we have a little more time for lunch!

Bougainvillea 

It’s a pouring rain cloud burst as we get off the ferry.  After standing in the rain, waiting for our bags to come off the ferry, we meet our jeep rental contact, who drives us to the VRBO rental contact.  We follow him to the VRBO, where we are met by the electrician who tells us that the transformer on the street is blown and we have no power.  Well that means that we have a little more time for dinner!

It’s a pouring rain cloud burst as we leave the VRBO.  Cruz Bay is at the bottom of a very steep hill.  We find the perfect little tiki bar, with a perfect people watching view, and awesome burgers.  There’s a nice little grocery store on the way back where we can get wine, cheese, and crackers.  By the time we return, power has been restored.  Well that means that we have a little more time to relax after an exciting day.

Wedding Vows - Millersylvania State Park, Olympia, WA

 

Assemble paper lanterns

Making Naan

The last big hurdle - the culvert on the road into the park collapsed…we got the word that it’s repaired and the wedding is on!  Everyone is on task! Cooks are cooking, decorators are decorating, flower arrangers are arranging.  By Friday night, the hall is decorated, the tables are set, the food is ready.  The groomsmen are furiously making cocktails for all.

Deb was informed last month that she was going to waltz with her son at the wedding.  NO STRESS!  what’s a waltz? My response, “it’s a dance in 3/4 time!” great…what’s 3/4 time?  “It’s three beats to a measure.” Okay, but what are we measuring? Never mind I’ll ask Google!  Confidence returns after mastering the box-step.  “And mom, I want to throw in  a couple of 6 beat spin turns”. Of course, you do!

So much tulle!

The accommodations were rustic, but the wedding was perfect.  Everyone cried on cue.  We celebrated with high tea before the wedding and had the meal that we had prepared following.  By nightfall, the decorations were down, the dishes were washed, the boxes were packed.  Ready for the newly weds to return home, unpack and finally, after six months, relax a little.

Ceremony Area

Head Table

Wedding Bells - Seattle, WA

 So here’s the plan.  Our youngest son gets married in the woods of Washington…

Here’s reality.  The “ideal” wedding location is Millersylvania State Park, south of Olympia. The only dates available are in the middle of March…in Washington…. As the plan matures, each small impediment is overcome.  We decide to head to Seattle five days early and rent a VRBO. My sister-in-law and her signifiant other, join us, along with our eldest who has been tasked with best brother duties including the organization of the bachelor party.

Grooms (center) & best men (brothers)

While my sister-in-law explores Seattle in search of the Old Stove Brewing Company, young men throwing fish, the “gum” wall, the space needle, the aquarium, and of course the “pink door” (don’t ask), we are busy with wedding prep: buying flowers, cutting ferns, photo shoots, rehearsal dinner.  The rest of the wedding party are making the final preparation of the food and packing decorations, sheets and blankets, etc for the two hour trip to the wedding venue.  With careful packing, we get everything into the awaiting vehicles, with enough room for most of the wedding party.

So as a minor side note, with all the can lights in the ceiling turned off, it was pretty dark in the VRBO.  As I left the bathroom at 1:00AM, it was pitch black, I turned to go back to bed, forgetting to go AROUND the cellar stairs.  As I stepped into mid air, I realized my error.  I was a little banged up but fortunately my sister-in-law is an OR nurse, but unfortunately all that was available was a box of bandaids.  By morning I looked like I had been playing doctor with a three year old!

Radisson Airport Hotel - SeaTac, WA

Easy day.  Up at 5:00, out by 6:30, drop off one son at the airport at 9:00, go for a short walk in the botanical gardens, go out for a nice lunch at an Indian restaurant, return the car at the airport, have a drink at an airport bar, check in to the hotel, take a nap, eat dinner, watch the Buffalo Bills defeat the 49ers in 2 1/2 ft of snow, go to bed early to be back at the airport by 5:30.

What’s that expression, “retirees do more on Sunday than young people do in a week!” Ha!

Bluff House - Moclips, WA

Our final day in Moclips, WA.  Besides the normal board games and beach walks, we have a new objective for the day.  Our youngest son’s wedding is in March.  It’s to be held in the pavilion of one of Washington’s state parks.  The wedding will be small, less than thirty guests.  There are a number of “heated” cabins available.  There is an industrial kitchen connected to a large hall.  The rental starts on Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday morning.  Today we are planning out all the tasks that need to be accomplished, from unloading, cooking, clean-up, flower arranging, etc. The duration of task, and the number of guests needed to accomplish the task.  In total, there were nearly 100 tasks created.

Our final task of this trip was to reload the car, so we could get out quickly in the morning.

Bluff House - Moclips, WA

 It’s left-over Friday.  However, this year it’s slim pickin’s. Deb offsets the leftovers with some green beans.  We break up the daily routine with an emergency grocery trip.  The town of Pacific Beach has a “You and I” grocery store.  I think that they are saying UNI, which sounds pretty big, but “You and I” is a local gas station.  Actually not too bad…we got triscuits, hot cocoa, red wine and white wine…and that was the whole list!  

The rest of the day was board games, walks on the beach and garma-marsala.  (Every time I write something like this I think I am building a dating profile…I like board games, walks on the beach, etc)

Thanksgiving @ Bluff House - Moclips, WA

 We are planning on eating at 2:00 so we have allocated time slots for each person to cook their offering for the meal.  The stove does not actually produce much heat, so cooking times may vary.  We managed to have almost everything heated that was suppose to be heated.  Anyway, great meal.  We have vowed to stay vegetarian for Thanksgiving next year.

Following Thanksgiving dinner, the next obvious thing to do is walk along the beach while food coma kicks in.  After everyone woke up we played some serious board games.  In our final game, we survived a plane crash, waiting to be rescued.  We needed to forage for food, and materials to build fires, spears and shelter.  Occasionally we eat poisonous mushrooms and become paralyzed or are attacked

by rabid raccoons.  The days take their tool on us and we start to go mad.  At one point, I had to stand up and dance, if I stopped I would die.  Others had to throw their cards across the room, or pretend to go blind or stop speaking, or have a staring contest.  WHO ever knew crashing in the wilderness could be so fun.