Last weekend we traipsed off to Creston for my brother’s wedding at my parent’s house in the countryside. We took the three dogs with us (and picked up a guinea pig on the way back, but that’s another story!) so we were sort of like a pack of clowns packed into our VW station wagon. It was the hottest day of the year – yikes! 40 degrees. But we made it there, and dropped off the old two dogs at the kennel for the weekend.
For the weekend, we stayed in my parent’s RV on their property. The kids ran around, playing and visiting, and we got a chance to catch up with some dear friends and relations.
On Saturday, we took off to Fort Steele to explore with my BFF, Von, and her brood. Little did I know that Fort Steele is totally pet friendly, but because of the heat, I was glad we put Tully in air-conditioned daycare. The clear skies made for gorgeous pictures.
For those that haven’t had the pleasure, Fort Steele is a heritage town in the Kootenay region of BC. There are a lot of working people and animals on site. Our family has a little history there. My father, when he was working on a ground squirrel project during his undergrad, spent a summer at Fort Steele. He worked with the Clydesdales. Some forty years later, the Clydesdales are still a huge part of the place… I saw four working teams in a few hours. Amazingly beautiful horses.
We had lots of fun with Vn and Trev and their family. It’s a weird coincidence that we both have identical twin girls.. makes for some interesting observation.
Jason and I remarked on how different it is to visit with small kids and medium ones. von constantly had three kids around her legs. Ah, small children. Our almost-nine-year-olds went off on the wagon ride with Vona and Trev, and explored much of the village themselves, leaving Jason and I to peek at things that interested us, like the old pharmacy. He really would have loved to read what was on those bottles… we were betting many of them were herbal tinctures, like we have at our clinic.
We ate at the bakery, panned for gold, and rode the train…
As I took this picture, I was thinking about the hair styling to be done the next day for the wedding. Sugar and Spice’s hair had just been taken out from extensions, and was wrapped up in buns full of hair oil.
Back at the homestead, more and more people arrived. My parents had five or six RVs parked in their yard, plus tents full of people. The rest stayed in the hotel at the end of the road, so it was really busy around their place. Mom and Dad were wonderful hosts, and ate up all the time they got to visit. Several pancake breakfasts, a BBQ, impromptu sandwich lunches, and of course, a wedding dinner, all was made in their kitchen. Thank goodness it was renovated, just in time!
My main job at the wedding was to make the flower girls look fabulous… which I did!
But everyone helped out. You can see my brother and his groomsmen lifting the beer kegs outside…
Dad drove us slightly nuts by watering the road 20 minutes before the wedding. Notice the same activity as the horses picture above? It’s a dry summer. Anyway, he did manage to get into his suit in time, so no harm done. I think he stayed in the suit for 30 minutes before he changed back into his “hippy homesteader” gear.
We all got dapper – Jason was tying a bowtie for the first time. Finally he gave up and let me do it. I’m sure he’ll get it himself next time…
The girls picked flowers to throw in front of the bride. Sugar raided mom’s indoor plants, below.
And Spice with the bride, just before the ceremony. M looked lovely, in a dress her bridesmaid made for her.
The ceremony was out in the yard, just out of reach of the shade. Thank goodness the ceremony was short! But I have to say that their vows, M’s especially, were the sweetest I have ever heard. We were all crying… or my side of the family was, anyway. You can who is in my family by how easily we cry.
The flower girls shared the spotlight with their new cousin, super Z, (M’s nephew,) who wore a cape with a big Z on it. Very Marvel comics.
And post wedding pictures… not the official ones, the candid ones!
Mom really looked lovely, and trusted me that her hippy homesteader hair (done by yours truly) was indeed appropriate for the occasion. It looked gorgeous!
I was very please how our family pictures turned out. We actually snapped them right before the wedding, before the crazy.
My darling little sister…
My best friend Von…
My pseudo-nieces, the “other twins…”
I would be remiss to describe the wedding without describing the food. M’s brother and sister-in-law are professional chefs. They own the fabulous artisan bakery in Osoyoos (check it out!) Somehow I didn’t manage to get a picture of the pulled pork sandwiches they made (smoked on my parent’ front porch for three days) or the smoked artic char, or the salads… maybe because I was eating it. Let’s just say : yum. And for dessert, pies made by my mom and cousin Dave. AMAZING…
My sister Ena, M’s dad and brother had been part of the jam circles that happened all weekend. At some point they figured out that they all knew the first dance song, so they ditched the MP3 and did it live, much to B and M’s delight. Note the homemade dance floor made out of pallets…
Dad and another little one breaking it down…
Jason and I both love dancing, so as long as my knees could handle it, we were up there…
…and long after the afore-mentioned knees gave out, the girls were out there boogying. They stayed up o close the night.
We had a lot of fun! My mom’s side of the family loves dancing too, so our cousins, aunt and uncle danced almost the whole evening too. Three of them came all the way from Sierra Leone for the wedding… so nice. It was delightful to spend time with them. My sis and brother-in-law M DJed a heck of a night!
Since this post will be passed around, I just wanted to send lots of love out to my brother and his new wife. May you have lots of fun in your new marriage, just like the beautiful wedding you planned.
And to my parents, who are breathing deeply (but still taking care of my kids for this week!) thank you. you were the host gracious, kind and generous hosts.
