The Wedding (pt 2)

Ok, where was I? Oh, yeah, day one for the Downings, and we were back at the room and resting after lunch, for about an hour and a half, until we headed off to the Moffatt-Ladd  House and Gardens for the rehearsal, and chair opening ceremonies. With the sky darkening as we awaited the arrival of the guitarist, it was decided that we would practice the entrance processional. (Good bit of foresight there.) Minutes after the procession finished the thunder and lightning gave way to fifteen minutes of heavy downpour. Thoughtfully, the canopy had been erected as a precaution for “The Day.” (And it would indeed serve a purpose, to keep the sun at bay). But, we used the rainy respite, to our advantage. The ‘chair opening’ ceremony began..(120 or so folding chairs stacked in a few piles needed to be unfolded and placed in a reasonable semblance of order). Mission accomplished, as Mike DeForge, best man,  brother of the groom, and I, “supervised” the ceremony and placement of said chairs. With the final chair in place and Rachel and Gregg having practiced their vows, the rain stopped! Amazing! So, it was off, (on foot), to the rehearsal dinner, (put on by Mike and Kathy DeForge), at a quaint Portsmouth establishment right on the waterfront, named the…(wait for it) “Oar House.”  Where, I swear, I could feel seafarers from Colonial times, walking/staggering down the alley for a tankard or two. But, that’s a story for another time. See you tomorrow,

Jake.