Finally home and some funny things along the way

We were on the road 31 days, and traveled a total of 4794.5 miles!  Lots of road dust!  We saw several unusual and humorous signs and sights during our trip.  Some I was not able to capture in time with the camera, like a sign in front of a diner "Love, peace and bacon grease"; or the slogan on a glass repairman's truck" "Show Me Your Crack".  But here are a few that I was able to get (right double click to enlarge):

I couldn't get this one good enough, but the station wagon was on a tow truck.  The bumper sticker on the wagon read:  "This car survived Mount Washington".

 Well, that's it until next trip....

Big Oops!

Monday we went to the cemetery, then spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave Tuesday morning.  Rain was again our companion throughout most of the ride Tuesday.  We stopped near Wythesville, VA at a campsite that we hadn't stayed at before, but seemed convenient being close to I-81.  It was probably one of the worst places we have ever camped at.  The sites were tight, and vehicles were parked in the roadway.  When Bob was trying to get into our spot, he inadvertently jack-knifed the unit right into the back window of the truck, smashing the window and crunching the cab frame.  The only thing we had to patch it up was cardboard from a beer box and electrical tape.  Talk about looking like rednecks!  The camp was right under the I-81 bridge, and the noise from the traffic could be heard even inside the unit which compounded the upset about the damage to the truck, and did not make for a pleasant night's sleep.

Party Time

The reception later in the evening was spectacular.  Appetizers were set up in two huge adjacent rooms with seating there and in the courtyard.   There was more food than one could imagine: jumbo shrimp, stone crab claws, duck, a carving station with stuffed pork and beef tenderloin, as well as a wide variety of  salads, cheeses, breads, cold cuts, hors d'ouvers, and condiments, ice sculptures, and an open bar that continued throughout the night.  After the appetizer/cocktail hour, everyone entered the ballroom  for the formal sit down dinner, speeches by Jill, the Maid of Honor, Victor, the Best Man, and Michael, the Father of the Bride who entertained everyone with a poem he had written about Rachel, and dancing which lasted until midnight.  It was truly an incredible wedding.
The next morning, we were invited to a breakfast at The Hunter's Room at the Grainery located behind the Inn.  Later in the afternoon,  Bob and I brought over some of the flowers from the wedding to Adele's house, where we had a chance to visit a bit longer with the Merson/Lambright family before saying so-long for this trip.

 

Rachel & Nathan's Big Day May 19 2012

Saturday morning, with some trepidation, we dropped Charlie Dog off at The Clip Shoppe, a groomer we've used when in Jersey who also boards dogs.  In the 8 years that we've had him, we have never boarded him, and with his being 13 years old, we weren't sure how we would react, but it turned out he did very well.  From there, we headed down to The Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge where the reception would be held, and where we had reservations for the night.  After checking in, we were able to catch part of the bridal party with the photographers and get some photos of our own. Then, we headed to Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick where the wedding ceremony was to start at 4 pm.  Traffic today was a lot lighter, plus we found a way to circumvent the road where the Greek festival was being held.  The chapel was truly awesome. The ceremony generated tears and laughter.  When  Rachel and her father walked down the aisle, Michael's great niece, Seneca, who was the flower girl, asked her mother if Uncle Michael was marrying Rachel. The Reverend related how Rachel and Nathan met at Rutgers, and it was funny to see how Rachel "played to the audience" as their story was told.  Soon they were pronounced husband and wife, and a kiss sealed the deal.

Rehearsal Dinner Friday May 18th 2012

Friday evening, Nathan's parents hosted a Texas barbeque rehearsal dinner at the Rutgers Gardens Log Cabin and Alumni Pavilion in New Brunswick. Inasmuch as Nathan and Rachel met at Rutgers while pursuing their doctorates in psychology, and had participated in their graduation ceremony the week before, this was the perfect venue.  Nathan and his family hail from the Houston area of the Lone Star State and wanted to show us how a barbecue is done down there. But, what should have been about an hour's drive from the camp to the cook out took closer to two.  Traffic was delayed due to a Greek festival being held on a street along the way.  However, everyone finally arrived, and a great time was had by "y'all"!

Dipping Party Wed May 16th, 2012

Rachel asked her mother to make her favorite Christmas cookies as her wedding favors.  So, Adele and Jill baked approximately 768 of the butter cookies.  On Wednesday, Adele called in all available  troops for a "dipping party". (Between the two small round cookies is a filling of  jam.  One corner of the cookie is dipped in melted chocolate and then in a mixture of white and purple nonpareils.)  By the time Bob and I got there, the assembly line was in full motion.  Most of the cookies had already been dipped and were being packaged.  Depending upon the size of the cookies, Adele packed 3-5 in a little plastic bag which I tied with a silver ribbon and put it in a silver box for Annie and Carol to wrap with a purple ribbon.  There needed to be 150 favors, and the ribbon ran out around number 98, so Michael and Bob were sent to the craft store for 2 more rolls.  By 3:30, the boxes were done and ready to go to the reception hall the next day.  As Cousin Carol would say, "Dip, dip, hurray!"

Michael gloating over his Super Bowl winnings from Bob - 3 gold plated dollar coins