[Parental advisory; this blog will contain more images and words about Humans than is usual!!]

We, or I, left Libre at 1:40 Saturday afternoon

out to pavement,

up the interstate,

through the mysteriously wet and ever-continuing construction

between Monument and Castle Rock and,

a mere two hours forty minutes later, Tower Road, La Quinta Inn,

and dinner for one with two glasses of wine at DiCicco’s, entertained by Andre Rieu on the

big screen nonstop.  Sunday, 5:30 a.m., plenty of time for an assaultively salted breakfast at DIA

before my 7:50 flight to SFO took off as efficiently [after the obligatory 15 or 20 mile taxi]

as anything I’ve ever been on…roll out, turn right, accelerate and gone.

Air Canada did something similar for us once out of Cleveland but for United [at DIA no less] this seemed highly propitious…

Mostly lost over the Rockies [note smoky pollution layer above and shadow of plane within halo below] and much of Utah eventually familiar landmarks

like Sevier [pron. “severe”] Lake

and Great Basin National Park floated by below before we cut south

across more territory to me incognita until

Mono Lake, passing into California over

Tioga Pass

and so down to the Cities by the Bay where I found my brother-in-law, just arrived from Boston,

at baggage claim. We then awaited a ride atop the parking structure where the driver, albeit

unfamiliar with English the language, was amenable to instructions from Dave, whose

guidance landed us in El Granada a full minute sooner than Siri might have and where we met up with much of the family.  After some reunion-ing and my acquisition of much-needed coffee

we moved en masse down the coast to Long Branch Farms, an ambitiously constructed homemade party venue where my brother and his wife were celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime

convergence of their 65th and 70th birthdays along with their 40th wedding anniversary.  Despite my consistent self-positioning as the Distant Relative something about the concept

compelled me to show up just this once. Turned out I was right to do so as, having been in the original ceremony at Pebble Beach forty years before, it turned out they were renewing their vows at this one [I had no idea until Kirk said “Bro, you’re standing up with me”] and I ended up being one of the four people from the original entourage still available…l. to r.; little sister Kathy

had been a bridesmaid, Kirk of course the groom, Tom the best man [still is!] and Bryan L. Moore…well BLM had been six years old and may not have been present but Nadine [not shown], another bridesmaid, was present to fill out the procession.

Brenda had been…the bride…and gone on to many several careers in sales and management in the interim.  None of the people below were even born yet; great-niece Gabriella Blue, mother Adralyn and father Nick [son of Kathy] Blue with K&B’s oldest, Tyler, in front…

We adjourned, some tearfully, to food, games and merriment around the Long Branch

until the sun sank behind the eucalyptus, bringing on a chill which drove the remainder of the

celebrants up the coast to K and B’s El Granada Dream House

for a few more giddy toasts [self, Kathy, WK] before the two on the left had to leave.

Photo courtesy of Douglas Brittin, who also officiated at the ceremony, ride to SFO thanks to Bryan L. Moore, soon to be rejoining the 82nd Airborne he sez…ulp. As it happened my plane boarded late due to, it was said, needing a “special cleaning” after bringing a load of tourists up from Mexico [whoa…don’t ask!] which gave Mayor Kathy and I a chance to catch up before she flew off to Spokane.   Even so my bumpy flight reached Denver a mere three minutes late so some fifteen hours after departure I was on the ground awaiting the shuttle to the hotel

where after several unsuccessful attempts at re-“keying” the piece of plastic they give you for your door the desk clerk finally let me in and I fell into a welcome state of comatosia. On a chill sunny morning several hours later several hours went to recording the previous day’s events

over maybe too much motel coffee and then around ten I ventured south, buzzed, onto the freeways of Denver, I-25 south through Castle Rock and Monument’s treacherous construction

to finally wash up at Jorge’s for, first food since Sunday afternoon, a pair of pork and avocado burritos with hot green.  And coffee.

Thus refreshed it was again south into high winds and glare to Huerfano County and, exit 56,

Red Rock Road, where one loops west and north on 69

to County Roads 620, 625 and 626

which led back to the Libre gate at 1:40 p.m.,

forty-eight hours and very glad to have made it, very happy to have done it and to have been with all those cousins, nephews [not forgetting you, Alex!], friends and lifelong friends of Kirk and Brenda’s who came together for a truly memorable occasion. Yeah…