RICK AND PAT GET MARRIED!

Once upon a time in a beautiful place a rainbow appeared and seemed to land outside the window. After 17 years together, Pat and Rick were reminded they had found the pot of gold --- each other!

Part 1 The Engagement

On  February 14 (Valentine's Day!) we were in Anganguayo Mexico, hiking to 8,500 feet to find a Shangri-La we had long imagined --- the wintering spot for the millions of monarch butterflies, some that flutter-migrate from our place in Ontario, thousands of miles to be here. Rick had concealed a symbolic ring from some far-flung country in his pack. Finally, beyond the security guards and in a nervous voice, he shouted to Pat to stop gawking at the monarchs and come off the path and join him. (Pat would say later that she thought Rick was just pissing in the woods, like he does at home!)  Eventually Rick dropped to his knees, stumbled through some words of endearment and popped the question. Surprised and then realizing what was happening, Pat said "Yes!" and tears flowed all around. The monarchs coloured the sky orange in joy.

That day is featured in the blog posting of Feb. 14, with many pictures. There is a hint of the engagement at the end of those paragraphs!

Part 2 Keeping the Secret

Maybe we were dizzy from the high altitude, but when we came back down to earth we each had a condition to this "yes!". Pat said she would only marry Rick Wyszynski. I had been talking about taking back my name since the last century and now there was the ultimate motivation. It would take til September to get the paperwork and legalities accomplished!  Rick's condition was that everything would be kept secret, to avoid fuss and keep it personal. By September/October we had decided on a location from the choices of Kemble, Toronto, or Windsor. We had found a wedding Officiant online that turned out to be very much in sync with our values (deep) and tone (light). We had picked a date that wouldn't conflict with any other family history. And most importantly, we had met with our Witnesses and sworn them to secrecy. Christy and Nikki epitomized the fun, youthfulness, and integrity that we had long admired in them. And they just happened to be available for the Big Day!!

Part 3 Wedding Day

Efficient to a fault, we arrived back in Detroit Oct. 26 from a trip to Las Vegas (there are hints in the blog post of Oct. 26 about the upcoming wedding!). We stayed in Windsor overnight, and got married the next day. (Pat M would write -- "Let me get this straight: You went to Vegas and got married in Windsor?!?!?") So many things had to work out, the big one being the weather for this outdoor ceremony. Luckily, our angels arranged a mild dry day ---- we had the sunshine in our hearts anyway! The four of us walked over to an appropriately green and floral spot by the river (where I had often rode my bike to fish as a boy, and where Pat and I had come on our first trip together to Windsor).  Our self-written vows reflected our life together past, present, and future. (Ask our witnesses about how deeply personal and meaningful it was.) In tears yet smiles all around, we were pronounced married and the corn-fetti flew (wild bird seed from home!).

Photos by Christy, sign by Inspiration. We drove up Pillette Avenue top-down and horns honking. Other cars honked in support? sympathy?? And, being blue-collar Windsor, another Mustang yelled out "wanna race??" (As Tom C said later, my race was over!) A warming and pleasant lunch, the cake was cut, and the group headed off, they to Royal Oak and us completing the loop to Kemble.

Notes: We're big on  history and family. So it's interesting to note that a Cardinal (Mike Cardinal, actually) married us as Wyszynski --- there was a famous Polish Cardinal Wyszynski! Also, Pat's red jacket is from our late and dearly beloved Aunt Eva. Pat's ring is the engagement ring from her late dearly beloved  Grandmother. My ring takes the place of my dad's wedding ring which was stolen, but still with me in spirit.

We had so much fun and joy hearing from all our friends and family after the news went out the next day. Real and sincere thanks to everyone out there who shared our happiness and surprise. May we all live happily ever after.

ON THE STRIP, OFF THE STRIP

Just got back from a quick 5 days in Las Vegas to use up a free flight before it expired. Beautiful sunny days and balmy nights to check out a destination we last passed through 13 years ago...

There are still all the flashing colourful gambling rooms, but we didn't waste any time or money there. There's still dozens of wedding chapels, but we didn't do that either. A big draw for the gazillions of tourists in the streets are the themed resorts. You can see the skyline of New York, the Sphinx and Pyramid of Egypt, authentic gondolas from Venice, the Eiffel Tower of Paris and more. Pretty cool if you haven't seen the real thing! There are the classic old resorts like the Riviera, Circus Circus, or Harrad's  (where we saw the amazing stage show Million Dollar Quartet --- Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis come to life and music). But then there are the humungous new blocks like Stratosphere, Bellagio, Wynn, SLS, and more. Is there anywhere else that gives this choice??

Biggest crowd pleasers on the Strip are the sidewalk volcano eruptions (huge, hot) and spectacular dancing fountains (huge but cool). If you had a penny for every picture taken, you could buy Caesar's Palace! Also on the streets are dozens of characters to pose with. Everything from fishnet cops to Hello Kitty to Dr. Evil to all the super heroes. Who's your favourite photo op??

But then a whole change of pace just a short drive out of town. The gigantic Hoover Dam still overwhelms but a new bridge has been built to divert all the traffic. How did they pour that concrete 400 feet off the canyon floor? In the other direction, the Red Rocks Canyon stuns with colours and shapes formed over a billion years. Took 50 pix of that, only room for 2 here.

 Winging home today, gawked at the scene below from parched desert to snowcaps to autumn leaves. Great trip, good to be home, what could top that next week??

NEW, COOL, PIX

There's now a new camera for the upcoming travel and photo season. The Samsung that we had to buy in Mexico only 10 months ago has been OK but more zoom and better focus was needed. So a Nikon Coolpix 9400 is now on the job. It had to be more capable but still fit in my pocket to be unobtrusive. Some of this week's blog pictures were taken with the Samsung, some with the Nikon. Can you tell the difference?? (Note: If the product names are highlighted, I didn't do it! Must be automatic with Blogspot...)

The salmon are running upriver to spawn in downtown Owen Sound --- an amazing sight two blocks from the Tim Hortons! They thrash around in less than a foot of water, big males and females in a dance of life and death. No use trying to catch them on a rod and reel ---- they aren't eating any more. But you could wade in and grab them with your bare hands.

Sunrises and full moons are good tests for cameras. Here are some from during the week ----which were taken with Sam and which with Nik??

TOPPED, DOORED, AND SANDWICHED

In Toronto the annual all-night Arts Festival called Nuit Blanche featured this huge stack of bicycles by Ai Wei Wei, the famed Chinese dissident who is under house arrest back home.  Can you see how symbolic and subversive this looks to the authorities??

At the apartment the kitchen counter tops have been updated from 1988 "butcher block" to 2013 "Limestone". The kitchen is mostly Pat's domain and she likes the lighter tones and texture. Around back, the garage doors have been updated from 1953 and 1992 "homemade plywood barn doors" to 2013 "light steel overhead doors". The garage is mostly my domain and I like the lighter weight and security. To each his (her?) own! Something we both like is the upgrade of the stair runner from 1988 "grotty dark rose wool pile" to 2013 "works-for-me 2-tone brown". On the way back to Kemble, flocks of gulls now roam inland ---- a yummy change from eating minnows to munching worms?

Today I'm sandwiched between what would have been my mom's 101st birthday (yesterday Oct. 12th) and tomorrow's Canadian Thanksgiving (Oct. 14). Pat's preparing to give me the bird and we're both very, very grateful for our privileged lives. May you feel the same.