Anna

     Last night the moist, marine air crept back into Oysterville after a two-day sun break that saw our temperatures soar into the 90s.  That sunshine, such a rare commodity for us this summer, arrived just in time for my cousin Anna’s wedding weekend and, because the first big celebratory event took place in our garden, we seemed to get full credit for it.  We basked happily in both the credit and the sun.
     Since we had absolutely no responsibilities for the Friday-the-thirteenth event, we began our basking early in the day.  We sat outside sipping cool drinks while the hosts (the groom’s family) and caterers transformed our yard into an elegant dinner setting for 120.  We felt like the Lord and Lady of the Manor and decided that we could readily get used to such a lifestyle!
     The dinner went without a hitch.  The guests came from all over the United States and from as far away as Africa and England.  The food – barbecued chicken and ribs (both beef and pork) with all the side dishes imaginable – the beverages, the music, the speeches, the obligatory slide show, were all fabulous.  And, as a backdrop, out on the bay the nine regatta entrants practiced sailing the next day’s course.
     The festivities wound down about 10:30 p.m. with assurances by various worker-bees and family members that clean-up would take place in the morning.  It did, and by noon the focus switched to the Red House two blocks to the north and to the bayshore where 150 white chairs, a stage and a bower of sunflowers set the stage for the big event.
    The wedding involved many family members.  Ring bearer, just-turned-three-year-old Maddie, the groom’s niece, was escorted down the aisle by three companions who were relatives of the bride.  They (two boys and a girl) were also three years old and their uncertain progress was a delight.  Although the four began in side-by-side formation, they managed to switch around several times as they saw familiar faces along the way.  Finally, Maddie lost patience with the whole procedure and simply tossed the ring pillow toward the best man who made a deft catch amid peals of laughter from the audience.
     There was laughter, too, when Father Tom (elderly cousin of the bride) forgot one of the last parts of the ceremony and the groom said, “Don’t we get to kiss now?”  We all felt assured that Anna was in good hands; her new husband clearly knows how to get the important things taken care of.  The final touch was the Ilwaco High School Jazz Band who were at the ready to escort the bridal party back to the house, the rest of us following closely behind.
     Later when Nyel and I joined the regatta dinner celebration, we were still being given credit for the weather.  Only for the sunshine, however, which was just as well.  The wind was “weird” according to the sailors – first out of the south which is unprecedented in regatta history – and then switching to the east.  Not the best sailing conditions apparently, but fortunately it wasn’t part of our responsibility!  We can continue to bask even though the sun has once again disappeared from Oysterville.