The Big Day - Sunday June 27, 2021

 Two years in the making...the wedding day finally arrives.  Today's events are quite unconventional, but reflect David and Amanda's love of all things aquatic!  The agenda is as follows:  a cruise on a catamaran, The Blue, out to Lighthouse Reef, where the wedding ceremony would take place, followed by snorkeling or just enjoying the water or being on the boat, back to dockside, photos on the beach, followed by the wedding dinner at The Whale Harbor.

We are scheduled to walk down the dock to the boat on the right around 1 pm

Bob and I will follow Chelsea and Emily who will be escorting Brooklyn and Bella, the dogs of honor.

The family begins to gather...Cheryl's dad, Bob, her cousin, Cinda, and her sister, Robin.

David sees Amanda for the first time in her wedding gown after she boards The Blue.

Heading out to oceanside, we'll go under the bridge on the Overseas Highway.  It does bring back fond memories seeing the beautiful waters of the Keys.

Although David and Amanda have made many visits down here,  today will be one of the most memorable for them.

Lighthouse Reef comes into view.  We hope the storm clouds will drift away.

Bob and I move from inside the boat to the benches near the bow before the ceremony begins. 

Andrew reads the vows.  At one point, he forgot to pause when reading what David was to say, and David had to ask him to repeat parts of it, much to everyone's chuckles.

Brisk winds cause too much feedback noise, so Andrew cuts off the mike.  Amanda uses her "teacher's voice" to be heard.  Andrew says her vows are more convincing when she is yelling them, causing even more laughter from the guests.

They then literally tie the knot.

and seal it with a kiss.

And we all join in a champagne toast to the new Mr and Mrs Kicklighter.

The captain announces that he will move to a different coral reef for snorkeling.  David and Amanda have changed into bathing suits, and having figuratively taken the plunge now literally do it by holding hands and jumping off the bow into the ocean.

Then other guests don snorkeling gear and enjoy the coral reef scenery...

...others enjoy  bobbing on floats...

...and others enjoy a cold one aboard deck.

After an hour or so, the captain announces we need to head back in.

Cheryl and friends entertain with a lively rendition of Sweet Caroline

Back on land, we gather on the beach at The Islander Resort for more photos.  The weather stayed windy, but no rain to ruin the day.

After the photo shoot, everyone went to Whale Harbor for the wedding dinner.  Here is the head table, but all in all, there were about 60 guests in attendance.

So, now it is official....and there truly are...

 

 

 

The Keys- Saturday June 26, 2021

 We got back on I-75, hit Tamiami Trail through the Everglades,  turned on Krome Avenue on into Homestead, and down Overseas Highway (aka "the stretch) and were at Key Largo Kampground and Marina by the 1 o'clock check-in time.  We are due at Robbie's Marina, about 20 miles away  in Islamorada, at 4 for an informal wedding procession rehearsal.

Considering how many campers and full timers stay here, we were very lucky to get a spot that was relatively private.

Roscoe seemed to enjoy the tropical setting.

The wedding venue is on  a catamaran moored at Robbie's Marina, bayside.

Despite our best efforts, we were about a half hour late getting to the boat due to traffic backups.  Here Bob chats with David.  David's daughter, Chelsea is on the right.

David's other daughter, Emmy, and her friend, James, join in.

We know who this is, even if she wasn't wearing her cap!

After a briefing about who "walks the plank" and in which order, we gathered at the Islamorada Fish Company for the rehearsal dinner.  Emmy, James, Chelsea and her friend, Stephen, were good enough to get there early to hold a table for the family.

Here are the honored guests.

And the entire bridal party..,Back row left to right: Stephen, James, Emmy, Jill (Amanda's sister-in-law), Andrew (Amanda's brother) and Cheryl and Mike (Amanda's mom and dad).  Seated: Chelsea, Amanda, David, me and Bob.

We all had delicious seafood selections and plenty of libations with which to wash it all down.  Nighttime quickly came, and we said so long until tomorrow.

 
 

 

Back to Florida June 23, 2021

 It would have had to be something special to get us to return to Florida, and it is...David and Amanda's wedding,  postponed due to covid last year, is set to take place June 27th, in Islamorada in the Florida Keys.  It is almost 900 miles from us, so we broke up the trip with our first stop at Folkston, GA, just a few miles from the Florida state line, and a second stop at campground in North Fort Myers.  

Here we are at the WP Franklin Locks Army Corps of Engineers park on the Caloosahatchee River. We have enjoyed camping here many times in the past.  In fact, the photo on the front page of our blog was taken at a site right next to this one.

Our site is on a dead end of the river.  The locks and intracoastal waterway are opposite us.  If you head down river from here, you will come to Ft Myers and the Gulf. 

We didn't want to miss our chance to have some good eats at one of our favorite places up here...The Alva diner.  This local gem has been in business for over 25 years...thanks to its good food, ample portions, fair prices, and friendly service.  

Bonita Springs is around 35 miles south of the campground, so we drove in to see what our old house looked like.  We were very disappointed to find the outside didn't look as nice as Bob kept it.  And, in general, we were disappointed that Bonita has become so crowded and lost its small town appeal.  The only bright point was seeing Dr K, the veterinarian who took such good care of Charlie Dog.  We had promised her we'd introduce her to Roscoe if we ever got to Bonita.  Thanks for taking time from your busy work day to see us, Dr. K!