My oldest daughter, Erin, got married on Saturday, October 17, 2009. In the photo is my 92 year old father, Lou, who made the drive with me from Raleigh all the way to St. Clair Shores, just east of Detroit. The standard French poodle of ours, Chimay, also drove up with my Dad and myself. The other two individuals in the photo are my cousin, Rick, and his wife Judy. I'm not much of a picture taker so there are none of the bride. Heck, she had a guy taking photos all night long, so I'll see if I can get her to send me some. I left Raleigh on the Sunday before which took us about 12.5 hours of driving. Doris flew up on the Thursday before the wedding. She had to tend to things at the Inn. What else is new, eh? It was a very nice wedding at St. Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Mt. Clemens. Later we had a grand celebration at Gino's Surf Lounge in Mt. Clemens, right on the Lake St. Clair. The weather was a little chilly to be outdoors on the patio/dock, but it was so, so nice to be off the water. Great atmosphere! The food was fantastic, roast beef, breaded chicken cutlets, and breaded pork loin, mashed potatoes, a wonderful bow-tie pasta with a non-meat alfredo sauce, and a huge dessert table! The DJ was really good, playing a variety of music for the young and old. The highlight, at least for me, was dancing to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie".... I still have some moves in this 56 year old body. I also did a polka with my cousin Sandi, but I couldn't spin her around because she got too dizzy. You'd think I could lose some weight from the dancing... naw... ate too many apple fritters from the Italian bakery by my younger daughter's house.On Sunday, after the wedding, Doris flew back with her daughter, Donna, and her boyfriend Jeff. My Dad, Chimay, and I left around 12 noon and arrived in Beckley, WV. Stayed over night, and then continued Monday morning at about 6am. Arrived in Raleigh at 10 am. It was a great trip with a lot of memorable moments. I have a few regrets of things I wish I did, but that is typical of me... always hoping for more or doing something different. Overall though, it was a grand time for all of us.
