I am presently in my home town of Walla Walla, Washington, where mere hours ago I participated in the wedding of my younger brother, Steve, to new sister-in-law Dawn Marie.
Walla Walla is pretty much identical to how it was when I last visited here three years ago: a city that was once dominated by the wheat and sweet onion business, but that now focuses on tourism revolving around the multitude of wineries in the area.
Shops that were around when I was kid are still around, run by the same people. I stopped into Earthlight Books, still run by David Crosby (no, not that one), and picked up a first edition paperback of I, THE JURY, kinda beat up (as is appropriate for a hardboiled novel) for a few bucks. Hot Poop records, which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, is still around, on Main Street, and still run by Jim McGuinn. Amy and Jim traded stories about the tour of the Dead that both watched, albeit at different tour dates and locations.
Today we gathered in Pioneer Park for the wedding, I in a tux. The weather cooperated; although it's been roasting lately in Walla Walla, nature's thermostat turned itself down slightly. So we had the best of all worlds: Sunny skies, slight breezes, and temps in the 70's and low 80's. The wedding went off without a hitch (except the obvious one), and matrimony ensued.
The most action-packed moment in the ceremony was when Steve stomped the wine glass. Beforehand, there were concerns that the glass was too sturdy, and that the soft grass of the park would render shattering difficult. But Steve is a black belt in karate. With the encouragement of the rabbi, he shouted a kyaa and pulverized the glass into sand molecules.
Unfortunately, I didn't bring anything to connect my camera to my laptop; so no photos can be posted yet. (Soon.)
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