Our reunion began a day before we were to gather at the resort. Janice and I joined Vivian, Aaron, Stephen and his mother for dinner in Seattle. Then, completely on whim, Steve suggested that we all pile into the car he rented for the weekend and visit the happy couple in their new home. Off we went, totally unannounced, and found not only Bill and Alyssa but also Paul, Kay and Kara, all getting ready for the big weekend. They dropped everything and we had a great mini reunion. Stephen's mother just had knee surgery and remained in the car, but people kindly stooped to chat with her. The house is really interesting and fit for hikers (it seemed like a three-floor hike just to get to the front door).
It would be understandable if you assumed Aaron flew out to WA just for the wedding. However, he was born and raised on the west coast. For as long as he can remember, he has been fond of local wild berries. He knew the salmon berry season should be underway, so he kept looking for them as we drove by miles of woods and forest. Suddenly he would urge us to stop. Here we see the intrepid hunter-gatherer (well, vegans don't hunt) gathering about a pint of the precious berries, both red and yellow. They were at their prime. He intended to save a few to show to a berry lover in Philly.
Most of my shots were taken during meals. The wedding party and guests had their own special large sunny room. Meals were simply excellent, not at all what I expected to receive in the middle of the forest in the middle of nowhere. The only problem was deciding how to pace yourself gastronomically. People coped superbly, usually lingering at tables or moving from table to table. My favourite time was breakfast. The morning sun poured through the tall windows, offering superb light for photographs. However, I quickly discovered it was best to wait until my brothers were well into their second cup of coffee before shooting.
This shows Paul, Kara and Grandma Sutter, who read from 1 Cor. 13 at the ceremony. It was so nice to see a grandparent used in this significant way, representing the other grandparents, each of whom was mentioned in the programme.
At Friday evening, Bill and Alyssa hosted the rehearsal dinner. However, everyone was invited, so there were far more people than just the customary wedding party. At the end, Kara spoke of the happy couple from her sisterly point of view. I could see why she is an excellent teacher. Her Aunt Debbie is seated, obviously enjoying the show.
I was honoured to be asked to officiate. Unfortunately, since I'm not ordained, let alone an ordained minister in WA, I could only perform the religious service. Alyssa and Bill were understanding and procured the services of a local clergyman to oversee the quiet official signing of state papers at about 9:00 the morning of the wedding.
This meant that they were now Officially Married . . . time for a few of life's wonderfully tender moments.
We then had several hours before dressing for the wedding, so Mark and I took the Father of the Bride (Paul rather enjoyed that appellation) to see what we could see. Mark drove his rented Bat Mobile, some muscular black car that caught the attention of all male car lovers. It had the sort of acceleration that recalls a jet taking off. Anyway, we went into the mountains looking for paths to beautiful scenery. I entitled this picture, "Where angels fear to tread".
The following picture is a bit out of order, because rehearsals are of course be held the day before the wedding, but I insert it here to show the setting for the wedding. Bill and Alyssa were on the stage, the musicians on the side. If you got tired of looking at stationary people on stage, you could always looks at stationary mountains. And if 'stationary' got boring, you could watch either the clouds move by or the guitar player's knee bounce wildly up and down.
Finally, the ceremony. People started gathering from across the grounds. This shot shows the cabins in which we stayed. It also shows Mark in his spiffy suit, elegantly escorting the love of his life to the wedding.
We were more leisurely. Here we see Kara, Aaron and Amy, but in the background you can also just discern some of the Sunderland family, including Bill's father (far right) and mother (white hair, third from the left). I was impressed by the Sunderlands and the obvious love and affection they and Bill share.
Yes, for the record, they did indeed get married. Here are two shots of people relaxing afterward in the afternoon sunshine. Paul just beamed, reminding me of the pure joy I used to treasure seeing in his face more than half a century ago. His smile could transform my day.
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