Warning: This post features our family and may not be interesting to a general audience.

The son of our niece was getting married, and people converged on a small town in New York for the event. There was an historical connection for us. We spent the last night of our honeymoon in a nearby town. John drove us through that town, and we found the old motel building was still there 53 years later. We also found the ice cream parlor that we had enjoyed. It is now an unappetizing real estate office.

It would be fun to get a map and draw lines showing where people came from to attend this wedding. Niece Chrissie’s relatives drove in from downstate New York, Maryland, Massachusetts and both Carolinas. Her husband Chris’ folks came from New York and Connecticut. I chatted with a cousin and thought he sounded like home. He mentioned that he came from Brooklyn. Yep, a good, solid New York accent made me feel right at home, since I lived on Long Island for 50 years.

There was a quick shower for the bride the afternoon before the wedding. I took a photo of two of my nieces and two sisters-in-law. They were the only ones I knew before the party started.

Of course you’d like to see the bride, and here she is opening a gift.

The older generations on the groom’s side partied in our motel. It was wonderful to see Chris’ relatives, some of whom we met when he married Chrissie 25 years ago.

There was an impromptu book signing at the far end of the room. A relative bought Lars’ latest book and had him sign it. (The Sea Wolves by Lars Brownworth about the Vikings)

We met a great niece for the first time as her dad, Anders, showed her off. After the party, we went to their motel room to visit a bit more. There were seven of us in the room with the baby, and we spoke in whispers. It is hard to snicker and snort silently! We didn’t wake her, though.