Gilligan, Sure. But No Captain Stubing References?
A 45th wedding anniversary, like so many things, is a reason to party. So we did.
The party started at “The Farm;” the ancestral home of my parents’ descendants. It’s called “The Farm” for two reasons. One, it’s a farm. Two, Tara was taken. So was Camelot. As were Belle Isle, Ameriquest Field, Rocky IV, Paisley Park, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Oregon. Anyway, it’s where my parents live. It was at The Farm that we ate a light lunch. And by light I, of course, mean we only ate twice as much as we should have eaten. We also had some cake and gave Mom and Dad cards. Some apple-polishers also gave gifts, but Stephanie and I have WAY too much dignity for that. Unless you count flowers as gifts; in which case we also gave a small token of our love and appreciation. Well, Stephanie did, anyway. We all had a good chat, some good eats; and tried to find some good golf on the television.
After the The Farm festivities, we all hopped into our roadsters (read minivans) and drove down to La Crosse, Wisconsin (another name we had to reject) to take a Mississippi boat cruise. First, we took pictures at a fountain near the dock. These will be interesting pictures. Corralling all of us for pictures is difficult enough. Add on that we couldn’t hear the photographers’ instructions because we were standing next to a fountain and you have yourself pictures with subjects looking every which way and in all kinds of unfortunate poses (back turned, reaching for young children, Jon, etc.). If you can get your hands on these pictures … well, you’re probably related to us and may know us well enough to understand.
Then on to the boat. The Julia Swain Belle. (Not to be confused with the John Swain Belle; a Viking ship which marauded the suburbs of Minneapolis in the early 1980s) As we were boarding, folks noticed that we were missing Joanne and her posse. We found them. Or they found us. Whatever happened, Joanne was soon on the boat. Crisis averted … FOR NOW!! Actually, that was probably the only crisis we had. Although, at one point, people realized it was a three-hour cruise and passengers wondered aloud what would happen if the tiny ship were tossed. We soon realized that, because of the fearless crew, the Julia Swain Belle would not be lost. (Which reminds me, has anyone seen John Swain lately? Oh drat!) Plus, the ship’s captain mentioned to us that there were life vests somewhere on the boat and if the time came that you needed one you could inquire the crew about them.
The only crew I saw, however, was the wait crew. But, really, that’s all I needed. We were served a delightful meal complete with a slab of cheesecake and strawberries; which a server mentioned was bit of a coup because cheesecake is usually served with cherries. (The things you learn when you’re not concerned with what you’re to do in an emergency.)
After dinner was plenty of time for scenery watching. And scenery we saw. Hills, cliffs, water, trees, boats, people standing in your sightline. And the singer. They had some guy singing. Most of the songs were dedicated to some 13-month-old named Wyatt (or something).
Once Wyatt’s 15 minutes of fame were up, we docked and got off the boat. They don’t actually announce that we are to leave and the captain doesn’t turn off the fasten seat belt sign. We’re pretty much on our own to know when to leave. It’s a wonder more people don’t fall into the water.
Then we were off to our roadsters and drove home. At least, that is what Stephanie and I did. Others may have stayed later and participated in a gathering of some sort. And probably laughed at us for leaving so soon. (Those jokers!) But, all’s well that ends well.
So let’s end this with a look back at things that happened around the time my parents were first married; give or take a few years. (Research done at the Kingwood College Library web site.)
The first domestic jet-airline passenger service was begun by National Airlines between New York City and Miami. Unfortunately, it was a few bumped heads and several lost children before the flight attendants finally clued us passengers in on how to work those belt things attached to the seat.
Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for the sport polo. Whew! Not a moment too soon.
Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, successfully orbits the earth. Years later, the U.S. sent out Explorer II in a search for Spock.
Finally, those traveling back in time would have marveled at how thin Elvis appeared.
So that was my parents’ 45th wedding anniversary.
See y’all in five years.
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The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer and do not neccessarily reflect those of the rest of the family.
© 2004, Mark Wentz