This week in August is so important to our family that I’ve taken to referring to it as “Reserve Week,” marking it out on calendars to keep us from accepting lesser commitments during it.
It usually begins August 10th, Michelle’s birthday. Today, August 11th, we celebrate the day we moved to the “homestead” (see Seven Years Good Luck). Today marks our 8th anniversary here. On August 14th, we celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary.
This year we kicked the week off with a special event in Haines: a young couple on the bay got married in a ceremony and reception on their land.
“Same old, same old?” After 8 years, the view doesn’t fade (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).
Talk about your monsoon weddings! A huge rain system settled on Southeast Alaska that morning, drenching the entire party. No matter, everyone bundled up in boots and rain gear, and had a blast.
I don’t know how many people attended, but the large crowd bore testament to how well these two young people are loved. It also proved rather daunting to the shy family from over the ridge. At one point in the evening I realized we’d settled in an out of the way spot at the celebration when a friend joined us to breastfeed her baby!
The reception reminded me that, while we may be proud of making our home here for the last eight years, we’re still newcomers to Haines. I fell into conversation with one of our community’s brighter lights. After a bit, he looked at me steadily, and asked, “Do I know you?”
I had introduced myself to him soon after we arrived here, and we’ve talked several times over the years. Luckily for me, I had an instant point of reference to offer: my older brother, Dave. They’ve been friends for years.
It’s funny that, though Dave and Anke live aboard their sailboat, and are far more remote than we, everybody seems to know them. Maybe we’ll be as well known around here as they are at the end of another eight years? I’m not ready to bet on that . . . .