I've been up early today, running errands and going to be meeting up with Dave
and Alex at 11:00 AM. Today is Kent and Christine's wedding, and we're
all going to be travelling to Michigan for the festivites, and staying
the night. Woohoo!
Dave, leading the way. Before we left Chicago, Alex was delayed and asked
to be picked up last. I got in the front seat and Dave and I got
into this discussion about "calling" shotgun. Apparently,
Alex had called shotgun over the phone.
I disagreed, saying that I always thought both parties had to be present before
one could call "shotgun." While he technically called
"shotgun" first, he was nowhere near the car. We then
got into the rules and Dave washed his hands of the whole deal,
saying that it was "up to us" to figure it out.
When we drove up to Alex's place, I pretty much imagined that we'd settle
things like men and play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to see
who sat up front. However, when we pulled up, I decided to just
stay in the front seat.
Alex hopped in back, and we never brought it up. :|
A shot of me, taken by Alex. From the back seat. :P
Alex and Dave, as we make our way to Saugatuck.
Pronounced Saw-Gah-Talk. Like my car, Dave's car doesn't
have AC. We're all slowly broiling here, but after about 30-45 minutes,
you kind of get used to it.
Kinda.
And we're here! There's a ton of people around, due to some Art Fair.
Plus, I think this particular place is really popular, especially
around the holidays. A very quiet sort of town, but really packed
with people.
This is what I imagine it's like, off-season.
A glimpse of the town. Right now, we're trying to find some place that has
air-conditioning. Only later did we find out that a storm had come
through the place, around noon, and knocked out a lot of power for
the area.
Two scooters from one of the local bike gangs. The gang members aren't
pictured here on the hogs because, most likely, they're off hassling
shopkeeps somewhere.
After some walking around, we found a Hot Dog stand near the lake. The
breeze was a really great change from the day, so we decided to
eat here, by the cooler winds and in the shade.
The seating area for the Coral Gables Dog House. We waited for our food
for what seemed like a half an hour...
That wait may have been unduly influenced by this man. Within five minutes
of placing our order at the hot dog stand, this guy (far right)
broke into Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.
Alex, Dave and I found a nice place right across the street, in the shade.
We ate up and killed a bit of time before the wedding was to start.
For those who may not know, Dave is an actual ordained minister of the
Universal Light Church.
This is wedding #2 for him, as he's already got one under his belt.
He originally got ordained to marry Kent and Christine, but another
friend of his asked him to perform a wedding ceremony last month.
He's a very popular minister among our group of friends. :)
Wedding time! As the hour draws near, we decide to leave Saugatuck and head
over to the wedding site (which is about 2 minutes away in Douglas).
On our way, I swear to Christ, we pass a kid in a boy scout uniform
who was talking to some out-of-towners in their car and giving directions.
Here's a shot of him talking to the local police.
Had I more time to look around, I guarantee you I would have been able
to find an apple pie, cooling on a windowsill somehwere.
Off the main highway, here's where we pulled in for the wedding. I actually
took this shot after a few of the ones below. I was crouched by
the road and wasn't paying attention when I heard this loud honk.
I looked up and saw Stu,
waving from his car. :)
Justin and Emma arrive! They had been down at a nearby bar (right on the
edge of the dock), and happened to be walking out to the parking
lot when we pulled up!
I want to marry a lighthouse keeper who lives by the side of the sea...
Emma, Justin and Alex walking towards the site.
For the record, I made it about half-way up that mound of dirt there, in the background. :|
Justin, trying to wrap himself all the way around the bar.
Emma, getting some air. If you ever want to know the secret to staying
young, it's swings.
Justin, showing us why the ladies love him.
I liked the whole performance overall, but due to the dismount... I give it a 9.6.
The wedding site was on a small peninsula by the lake. The white tarp
you see was hastily put up. Alex, Justin, Emma and I were all down
by the dock bar, getting some water and some drinks. We watched
two or three people slowly set up the tent and figured we had a
lot of time left.
Later, we found out that the original tarp (which had been in place since
the morning) was completely destroyed when the noon storm swept
in. Kent arrived to find the entire structure torn to shit, and
had to get an emergency crew to set up the one you see above.
Everything went off without a hitch, however. We didn't know about the tent
fiasco until much later.
Jake, Kent's sister's dog. He was the official ring-bearer for the ceremony,
and had the rings tired around a little collar.
Best_ring_bearer_ever!
The time drawing close, Alex, Dave and I decide to change.
In the parking lot.
Felt like my old high-school days, back when I was in orchestra and choir.
We'd have to change quickly in unlikely places. The heat by this
time is quite extreme. I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and had
been sweating the entire time.
I hate this picture, but let me show you the level of pain I was experiencing. July heat, and me in a suit and tie.
Alex looks great - calm and collected. But don't let him fool you. The heat was terrible!
LOL. Looking at this picture again, it's like I'm saying "Please. God. Kill me now."
Emma, looking lovely and taking a rest before the wedding begins.
Dave, looking over the poems he'll be reading, with Justin looking over his shoulder. Justin was the one who picked the poems, and the two
of them discussed the ceremony.
Dave sipping water, and getting ready to participate in his second wedding.
More guests arrive. That's Kent on the left, and Rob and Gretchen on the right.
The entire wedding was very small and very intimate. Everyone was able
to fit under the tent without a problem. In the background, Dave
is going over the material one last time.
What was funny about this scene was that Christine had just arrived about
10 seconds ago. Everyone turned and was ready to see her approach...
but then she turned around, and went off to get some pictures taken
by Stu.
Even Kent had expected her to start walking towards us, but then said
"Uh... I guess we're going to wait a bit." :D
Gretchen and Rob.
Christine, radiant and all smiles, making her way towards us.
Dave, reciting some of the poems Justin selected.
A quick peek across the aisle, during the ceremony. For the most part, I
put my camera away and tried not to take too many pictures (didn't
want to miss the wedding, if you know what I mean).
Ahhh. Kent putting the ring on Christine.
Woohoo! Congratulations!
The exchange of vows was incredibly intense, and I wish I could somehow
relay to you how passionate both Kent and Christine were when they
were looking at one another. Stu
was right up there, taking photos, and I bet he was able to capture
the moments fully.
Afterwards: the bride and groom.
:)
What time is it?
It's PAR TE TYME!
This is where we'll be for the next three to four hours. On a boat. On Lake Michigan.
A view of the inlet. We were somewhat isolated from the lake itself, and
had to make our way (a good 10 minutes) out, until we hit the wide-open
areas. If you can see where that small, reddish boat is... that's
where we're headed. We will be continuing that direction, and loop
around a bit until we hit open waters.
I got this movie right as Dave and Gretchen were trying to "push
out" all the water that had collected on the boat tarp. They
stopped soon after I started recording, so I did a sweep of the
boat to try to get a panorama of everything. :)
This is the view of that hot dog stand, but from the water.
Andrew, one of the youngest guests on the boat. I felt bad for the guy,
as there wasn't really anyone else around his age at all for him
to talk to, or hang out with.
On a few occasions, I made it a point to try to hang out with him a
bit and chat. I'm not sure if a drunk Asian guy is his idea of a
fun converastion, but hell... I didn't see anyone else really trying
to see if he was having any fun. We did have a good, extended conversation
on different types of fireworks (he didn't know what roman candles
were, ffs).
I think this might be my quirk, but I tend to be able to talk to kids better
than adults sometimes. Mostly at large holiday/family gatherings,
I'm better with the younger ones than folks my age or older. Might
be maturity. :P
It might also just be the whole misfit syndrome. I feel so on the peripheral
so often, I feel like I can relate.
I really wish I could take credit for this shot, but no. Stu's the one who
set up this pose, and I just happened along and snapped a pic over
his shoulder.
I can't stress it enough. Stu's work is amazing, and I can't wait to see
what sort of photogrpahs he took for this wedding. If you haven't
seen his work, definitely
go check it out.
Three Pirate Jokes From Dave (which, if you ever get the chance, you really have to hear in his official pirate
voice):
PIRATE JOKE #1:
A girl walks up to the movie theater, and lo and behold there's
a pirate in the booth, selling tickets. She asks to buy a ticket
to go see Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Pirate: I'm sorry, girly, I can't sells ya this here ticket. Girl: Why not? I'm thirteen. I want to see it. Pirate: This here movie ain't PG-13. Girl: It isn't? What's it rated? Pirate: Aaaaaarrrrrrr!
PIRATE JOKE #2:
A girl walks in to the mall to get her ears pierced. She's a bit
surprised to see, at the store, a pirate working behind the counter.
She's a bit thrown off, but decides to find out more information
about how much it costs.
Girl: I'd like to get my ears pierced. Pirate: Just one then, lassie? Or both of 'em? Girl: Both of them, please. How much will it cost?
The pirate nods, pointing his head to a nearby sign.
Girl: Only two dollars? Pirate: A buccaneer! Aaaaaarrrrrrr!
PIRATE JOKE #3:
A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel tied to his balls.
(At this point in the joke, I announce to everyone that this is absolutely
the BEST_JOKE_EVER. Punch-line be damned. Anything, ANYTHING
that opens up with this sentence HAS to be good!
A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel tied to his balls.
The bartender pretends not to notice anything, and takes the guy's
order. He gets him a glass of beer and, after a few minutes, decides
to ask.
Bartender: Uhm... buddy? Pirate: Yes? Bartender: Well, I don't mean to be rude here... but do
you know you have a steering wheel tied to your balls? Pirate: Aaaaaarrrrrrr! It's driving me nuts!
Have you ever wondered what I would take to become a sea captain?
Apparently, all it takes is some diet Pepsi, some Marlboro Lights, and some Tylenol. :|
We were in some sort of small canal-type area. Up ahead, where those
two small markers are, is Lake Michigan proper. Everything opens
up at that point, and we start to lose sight of land a bit.
Shannon and Phil, friends of Kent and Christine that I met at the wedding.
I grabbed this shot of them doing the Titanic thing, which Kent
later saw. He made me show them this pic and, after I got their
e-mail, I promised I'd send them a copy.
Emma, through the looking glass.
There was a kid who was setting off some fireworks, way out here by himself.
This isn't an actual lighthouse per se, but just about as pretty as one.
A shot of Stu, taking
a shot of Kent and Christine. Like I said, I bet he's going to have some amazing photographs.
I thought this was rather cool - Stu
just kept the two of them there, and was shooting with a polaroid. Once he got a shot done, he'd throw it down and try to get another.
This is what Michigan looks like, from the lake.
Right as we hit the open water, the waves started to get a bit more aggressive
and the entire boat was lurching around a lot. The swells weren't
all that high, but for someone like me who hasn't been out on a
boat in years... it felt really rough.
I was trying to walk around, and had to keep reaching out to grab things
to catch my balance. After a while, I couldn't tell if it was the
waves or the whiskey causing my problems.
I tried to get a movie of the movement, trying to capture all the swells
and lurching... but I got this instead. It seems to capture more
of Rena showing some cool images to Kent and Chrstine, more than
it captures the up-and-down of the lake.
Damn, I forget who they are.
Kent, the happily married man.
A photo of Rena. We apparently met some time ago, but I had forgotten. She
thinks it might have been on
Justin's birthday, but I'm not so sure now. I'm pretty sure
it was at the same restaurant (Takealeitlan), but it may have been
on someone else's birthday.
We got along really well, I'd like to think. During the wedding, we
compared cameras (we had the exact same friggin' camera), and were
both snapping pictures and movies the whole time. On the boat ride,
I got to find out a bit more of what she did, and discovered she
was solicited
by the MCA to do a piece there!
Here, let's see. How does that phrase go? I'm not yet in the land of drunk,
but I can see it without a telescope?
I made a proposition to Rena. I asked for us to swap cameras, and for us
to each take a photo of the other.
This (above) is the one she took of me. And actually, I really dig it,
despite my eyes being closed. Cool shot. I wonder if all the pictures
she takes are this neat.
Rob, looking super suave; Gretchen, looking super cute.
Rena and Alex.
Here's a view of the harbor. We backtracked from the open lake and returned to the inlet. Along with
about 30 other boats, we found a spot and just drifted, waiting for the fireworks to start.
While I tried to take photos, it was hard to get them in focus. Here's an early one from the evening.
The whole time, we could see two dark red lights, which looked to me like road flares. It seriously seemed
like two guys were just walking down a line of fireworks, setting them off one by one.
Here's a nice one, reflecting off of the water.
Like I said - a bit blurry. But here's what I saw. Honestly, my images don't do this experience justice. This was my first time out on
a lake for the fourth, and it was just gorgeous.
After a few initial attempts to capture things with my camera, I just put it away and took in the sights, the colors, and the sounds.
Norm, Alex and Dave, all checking out a huge spider that was spinning a web in the middle of the boat. I first met Norm at Christine's
birthday party, a while back. He's dating Lisa, who I met at Stu's Zaireeka party, last
winter. The two of them both work with Flash, and I had the chance to talk with them both a bit more during the boat ride. Good people,
good talks.
Rob and Gretchen, doing the cute thing once more.
Ah, back on land!
After the boat ride (and after moving a lot of stuff back into people's cars), we arrived at Christine's brother's restaurant, the
Loaf and Mug.
We had our afterparty here, and hung out in the back area for the remainder of the night.
Here's a shot of the back patio. We drank more beer, did a bit of wine, and just relaxed into the rest of the evening. Overall, everything
was really, really low key at this point.
I had hoped to talk with Rena a bit more and, since she said she was tired, I asked around and got Scott (Christine's brother) to make a pot
of coffee. As the night progressed, however, Rena started to slip farther and farther away, and was nodding off in her chair.
Man, that's gotta be rough. Just sorta conking out like that, completely out of the blu...
Casey, the best man, giving his speech. He was a nice guy and was a friend
of Kent's back in their college days
A bit later, I hung with him and Rob. Three guys, two joints.
I crashed out soon after. :|
Leah, giving her hilarious speech and talking about Christine's obsession with "lists."
Shortly after this, most everyone cashed out and left for their respective
tents/rooms/bed and breakfastses. Dave stayed up pretty late (3 AM) chatting with the late-night crew, but I ended up just calling
it a night and going to be somewhat early.
Justin, Emma, Dave and I were able to take advantage of Scott's extreme generosity, and got to crash out in his apartment above
the restaurant.
I hate this picture, but let me show you the level of pain I was experiencing. July heat, and me in a suit and tie.
