Aphelion Editorial 103

Oh, it's great to be married! At last Lyn and I have triumphed over all adversities. We've outlasted all the hold-ups and hurdles. We've beaten the odds and battered back the barbarians that tried to come between us and wedded bliss. We trekked down to the county courthouse on Friday, July 14th, waited an extra hour for the judge (who was late even after he'd called us and confirmed the time we were all going to be there ready and waiting), had a short and sweet civil ceremony, and then fled the state for a family get together to celebrate my grandmother's 99th birthday.

My Dad was only too proud to give the bride away. Lyn's Dad isn't well enough to have made the trip over from England, so my Dad stood in for him. One of my best friends from work showed up to be a witness, and almost got roped into being my best man, but managed to beg off. Mom could barely keep from crying tears of joy. My 4 year old niece was extraordinarily well behaved, and so precious. The whole family was so happy for us.

Then we began the trip up to Tennessee to visit my Mom's family. Granny Griffith's 99th birthday party turned out to be far smaller than I'd thought. But nothing went wrong, Granny was having a really good day, and she & my aunts & uncles all fell in love with Lindsey as soon as they met her. Lyn even got asked to help with the family feast. That let me know right then and there that she'd been accepted into the family with full honors. The dinner was fabulous. Home cooking by ladies who've been practicing longer than I've been alive. Almost everything was fresh out of someone's garden, or bought at a farmer's market. We demolished piles of corn-on-the-cob, potato salad, green beans, cornbread, creamed corn, boiled potatoes, cole slaw, roast beef, biscuits, sliced tomatoes & onions, and much more. Then we had birthday cake and ice cream for dessert.

The hotel that Mom booked for us to stay in is owned by an old school friend of Dad's. The staff treated us like family. Complete bliss. Although we never got a chance to get into the pool, we did wanter around and look at the antique cars, the sculptures, the many, many local photos that graced the walls, and even the llamas that the hotel uses instead of lawn mowers. No mere machine could handle the steep Tennessee hillsides where the hotel is located. Halfway up one of the smaller slopes of the Smokey Mtns. and overlooking a beautiful lake framed by more mountains in the near distance. The view alone was worth the trip. Being with my beautiful bride was just the icing on the cake. And what delicious icing it was! Oh, it was like falling in love all over again.

On the trip back we stopped at lots of stores, as well as one of the better farmer's markets in North Carolina. The Smokey Mountains were at their most beautiful summertime peak. The fogs, quick rainstorms, and brilliant sunlight limned the mountains like some sort of masterwork oil painting. The sun cutting through the clouds - lighting up the trees and rivers like fine jewelry. There is home, and then there's home! This was a wonderful trip.

When we got back to Casa Vila, there were little tiny tomatoes on Lyn's first tomato plants, and the first tiny limes that my lime tree has produced in over 3 years... All right, I've gushed long enough. We've got lots of new stories for you to enjoy. Kick back, grab yourself a cool drink and your mouse, and get to clicking! I'm going to go kiss my wife again... Oh, that sounds so lovely. My wife. Heaven can't possibly hold more bliss than is in my heart right now.

Dan

I now return you to your regularly scheduled reading...

THE END

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