Weddings and Redwood Reflections



Last Friday afternoon Katy and I drove three hours to Heber Springs, Arkansas. I don’t think I had ever been there. It is located an hour or so north of Little Rock, but from Ft. Smith you veer north at Conway. It has a small downtown with cute shops. I had heard of the Red Apple Inn for years, but this was my first visit. I was the wedding coordinator for a friend’s daughter’s wedding. I have known the Parke’s since Laura and Sarah were in kindergarten together. Unfortunately, Sarah was not feeling well and unable to attend.



Laura graduated from Southside High with Sarah in 1998, then from Texas Christian 2001, and taught school in the Dallas area. Laura’s fiancé is from Texas. They will make their home in Austin. They seem very well suited for each other. Laura has lived several places and bonded with many people. For a destination wedding in a tiny Arkansas town with no large highways leading to it, Laura and Ben had over two hundred people attending. Only one hundred fifty had rsvp-ed. She had nine bridesmaids. It took both Katy and I coordinating together to corral this bunch. Everyone had been in weddings before, all were approaching thirty and everyone had an opinion about my job and what everyone else should do. They married in the First Baptist Church Heber Springs. Katy was indispensable help.



The rehearsal dinner was at a beautiful vacation home in hills overlooking Greer’s Ferry Lake. Rebecca’s sister, Janane and David, her husband, call it a cabin. Their grandparents farmed in Heber Springs and part of the wood for the present cabin came from the old homestead. Janane and David hosted, the dinner for Laura and Ben. They hired a chef from Little Rock. I never caught his name and he brought a crew complete with tall white chef hats. It was fun. David is a physician in Little Rock and three of his sons are presently in med school in Little Rock. Some may already be in their residencies. Janane tried not to be too proud as she discussed them, but obviously their boys have done quite well for themselves. We sat with them and another couple who are long time friends of the Parke’s, the Baldwin’s. David’s nurse, her husband and some other friends or maybe staff members served the guests as waiters. Everyone was giggling in their new roles. Janane cut tall branches of dogwood with berries and all kinds of other wild branches for decoration. She did beautiful arrangements of freshly cut hydrangeas, roses, cedar, and other things that had berries. Candles glowed, wine and ice tea flowed. Our menu was pork loin with a sauce, mashed potatoes, salad, green beans (long perfectly cooked, but not overcooked), hot rolls and a ganache iced three layer chocolate cake. I resisted nothing.



Katy and I had a lovely room at the inn. In the morning we realized we had a balcony overlooking the beautiful hills. Laura’s wedding reception was to be held in Red Apple’s dining room with a gorgeous view of the lake. Katy and I shopped the downtown area that morning. We were supposed to help with the flowers at one, but when we got there, Janane and her daughter-in-laws had already done everything. Everything…so Katy, Renee Baldwin and I went to the Aromatique show room. Aromatique originated in Heber Springs.



By the time we finished shopping fragrances and stopped at the Sonic it was time to get dressed. Everything went according to plan for the ceremony. Rebecca looked lovely in a greenish blue long dress. Laura sparkled and glowed like a newly crowned queen. I only had to run a thirty second half mile (good for me) to reach the groomsmen and tell them to go in. The violinist did not play their cue correctly and those poor men were totally baffled. It took a few seconds for me to convince them I knew what I was talking about and they needed to go in, but from the audience no one knew anything was amiss. I thought the pastor did an excellent job of giving wonderful marital advice during the ceremony. He called them challenges and it took everything I had to not keep poking Katy and saying, “Wow that was good advice.” I am getting a copy of the ceremony, because I would like to email his thoughts to all young couples I know. He is the father-in-law of one of Janane’s sons. He was a Baptist minister, but now works or run what they call the Baptist Foundation in Arkansas.



The reception was fun with delicious hors devours, meats and lots of young people dancing. Rebecca and Stephen went through the line after Katy and I and the waiter told them the food was about gone. It was OK everyone had been served. You may expect ten extra people, but you certainly don’t expect fifty extra people. They had a ton of cake. In fact, Rebecca had the waiters cut the cake and start carrying it to people. No long lines. That was nice. She wanted it eaten! No one minded accommodating her, because both the chocolate and white were wonderful. I think the white was Italian cream. Deliciously edible!



Next morning Katy drove me to Little Rock where I caught a flight to Sacramento. Wendell picked me up at the airport on the motorcycle to the amusement of bystanders. We drove up to Redding and over to Eureka (actually north of there) the first day. It was gorgeous. Along that first leg we first thought it was a cloud then realized it was a very big snow capped mountain. Figured out it was Mt. Shasta. Our only difficulty of the trip was getting caught in some rain. We stopped in a tiny town to wait it out and had a wonderful chili dog. We spent the night in Eureka. Next day we drove the coast through the redwoods to San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped in the San Marento area at Alice’s Restaurant for a late lunch then back to Sacramento the next afternoon and barely caught our flight to Dallas. We got home late Wednesday night.



Thursday morning I was up and at my Bible study by nine. It was the last time we were going to meet before Christmas. We had a festive brunch and concluded our Beth Moore study in Esther. I made Haman Ear cookies. I followed the recipe in the back of the Bible study booklet. Thursday afternoon I began cleaning house for a shower I hosted Sunday afternoon. I had a friend pray for me, because I had created a huge mess for myself before I left trying to clean out one closet, but with Katy’s help and three days I was able to get the house in shape.



Late Saturday night Wendell hung a chandelier for me over my dining room table. The ceiling is fourteen feet high. He had to stand on the top of a very tall ladder to drill the hole. He had to tippy toe and do yoga ballet maneuvers in the attic over the rafters to pull the wires. Thankfully he did not crash through the ceiling. Think Fred Flintstone and twinkle toes. He finished right at midnight.



The shower went very well. This was for one of the Asbury triplets, Leslie. Her wedding is December 15th. Both Leslie and her fiancé, Ian are members of First Baptist Fort Smith so we had a great turnout. Leslie and Ian have dated since eight grade. I am so happy this day is almost here for them! One hostess couldn’t be there at all because her daughter went into labor. Another came toward the end, Brenda Phillips. She’s been fighting ovarian cancer for a year. Despite her weakening frame, her spirit and love for God was abounding and encouraged everyone she spoke with. She has an angelic smile. Pam, the groom’s mom, is a picture taker. She has faithfully photographed her childrens lives. We were joking about her having to go through all the old photos for a wedding video show, but knowing Pam she will get a wonderful one together. The bride’s mother is a walking buddy of mine. As the mother of seven children, nothing phases her. She did this in August for Laine and now repeating the process for Leslie. Next summer will be Lydia’s turn. All three triplets will have married in less than a year. They are lovely sweet tempered young women and their chosen mates seem very well suited for them.

October in California

Thursday the first day of October Wendell and I flew from a rainy Tulsa, Oklahoma to a sunny Sacramento, California. Our plan was to ride double on a motorcycle along the coastline to Los Angeles where Wendell had work. We would return north to Sacramento the same way. The weather was warm and pleasant. Our first stop was Turlock, California where I dropped Wendell at a friend’s. Robby is an old college buddy. Wendell keeps a motorcycle there. I drove twenty minutes south to Merced where another transplanted Arkansas friend named Terri lives. Wendell spent his evening organizing things for our trip and visiting with Robby. I stayed with Terri and joined in her activities, which included substituting in an after school program. Terri is a middle school principal. After school we ate a delicious meal of nachos topped with pulled pork in the company of teaching associates at a place called Bubba's. For dessert we went to different restaurant and split a hot fudge brownie smothered in ice-cream. Later in the comfort of her lovely home we talked until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.

Next morning I returned to Turlock. We ate breakfast in a quaint mom and pop restaurant. In the rental car parking lot we gave back the car, put on cycling gear and mounted our ride. It’s an older BMW cop motorcycle. Wendell had installed speaker microphones in our helmets. We were ready to talk and roll. The first leg of our road trip was to San Jose. We would then head south and over to the coast. Wendell chose California Route 130. He asked several people about it, but no one knew anything. Later we knew why. No one travels this road. It was nicely paved but the terrain was a bit much for me. It weaves through golden brown hills that give way to craggy shrub covered ones. The road winds up and down. I got nauseous and depending on the elevation was freezing or burning up. We didn’t have any water. None of the roadside parks were open and there were no towns or convenience stores. I was rethinking my trip agreement when we rounded a curve and a large white dome then several smaller ones came into view. Wendell said, “These are observatories.” We went round another curve and buildings, cars and a woman appeared. We asked if there was water and she pointed up a steep hill. We were at Lick’s Observatory on Mount Hamilton. It is a hundred and twenty years old. When it was built is was the largest refractory telescope in the world. We received water and a tour of the building. It was so interesting that I forgave Wendell for my earlier discomfort. We continued to San Jose down the original mule trail built for the observatory.
We didn’t stop in San Jose but continued to an area called Mt. Hermon where we bought slices of pizza and tea, then on toward Monterey. We passed Moss Landing where there is a wonderful restaurant, The Whole Enchilada. They serve a unique combination of sea and Mexican food. It’s worth a visit. Our first view of the ocean was a bit south of there. It was beautiful. Mountain meets ocean. There was not a cloud in the sky. The mountains vegetation changed periodically from red green to golden brown then back again. I don’t know if we were passing through different gardening zones or what. We saw beautiful stretches of beach. Some with surfers and some with elephant seals sunbathing. We saw wind surfers, and one sailboat. There were all kinds of bikers. We passed more than a hundred bicycle riders doing a charity ride. Most motorcyclists rode alone. Wendell occasionally would say he was glad to have someone with him. There were plenty of convertibles and some antique cars.
We rode into Monterey about sunset. The combination of unique architecture, quaint shops and ocean is very appealing. We ate supper at a place called Louie Linguine’s on Cannery Row and spent the night at the Marriott. On our way to the hotel a pair of black tailed deer quietly strolled past.
Saturday morning we rode to Carmel for breakfast and walked down the main thoroughfare that leads to the sea. It is the first time I have been to Carmel and was able to see the ocean. A fellow airplane passenger later explained that in the fall heat from the central valley draws fog off the coast. This is the best time of year to view the ocean. A nice happenstance for us.
From Carmel we rode to Big Sur. There is a store that sells hardboiled eggs and salmon jerky. We walked to a river stream and sat in chairs purposely left in the water. We lounged, soaked our feet and munched on goodies. They have a stand of redwoods nearby. They are very tall trees.
Further south is a place called Ragged Point. It is a peninsular outcropping and favorite stopping place for motorcyclists, bicyclists and convertibles. There are stores, restaurants and a motel. It was just beautiful. They specialize in delicious cakes and pies. The slices were huge. From there we rode to Solvang. A friend in our Sunday school class had told us about this unique Danish town. Windmills and European architecture line streets and house shops and eateries. They are known for a fruit dumpling. I was especially attracted to one shop’s display of very unique purses. Sadly, it was closed.
About sunset we exited the highway for Montecito a small village in Santa Barbara. Their shops had the most attractive displays in windows I have ever seen. Again, they were all closed. We ate dinner at a place called Lucky’s. It was our most expensive meal and worth it. We had steak, grilled artichokes, salads, mashed potatoes, wonderful green beans, hot soup and rolls. Yum! From The balcony outside our room you could see the ocean. It was lovely. Next morning we ate a continental breakfast and onto Los Angeles. We were traveling the Ventura Highway right into the heart of downtown then to a suburb, La Habra. I have friends, Kent and Liz, who live in a neighborhood on top of a mountain ridge with a fabulous view of the entire Los Angeles valley. They welcomed, cooked, and entertained us most graciously. Wendell was able to accomplish his work and I was able to visit with our friends. They served us tri tip the first night which Kent cooked on his grill. Liz fixed a beautiful and delicious salad, fresh asparagus, rice, hot bread and a wonderful and pretty blueberry dessert drizzled with a lemon glaze from fruit she picked in her yard. Yep! It was the lap of luxury.
Sunday after lots of fun conversation and a lunch of delicious tomato soup we reluctantly left to return north. We drove through cities that I have heard about on TV all my life. “Kids send your stamped postcard to Thousand Oaks, California!” We zipped past Hollywood, Burbank, Capitol Records, NBC, ABC and a plethora of giant sized billboards advertising all kinds of movies and TV shows. I am sure we rode past 31st and Vine, but no woman was selling Love Potion Number nine.
Our destination was Ragged Point. We made a long haul to get there. It was an hour past dark. We were chilled. Once the sun goes down its cold. I had on three coats including Wendell’s outer layer. He had stuffed newspapers into the jacket he wore to act as a windbreak. I snuggled close to keep his back side warm.
The restaurant was a welcome haven of warmth. We made it just before they closed. We had a wonderful meal served to us by a French waitress. Several tables of people were speaking French. I wondered if there was a French connection. Next morning out our window was a giant lone cedar with a wide trunk and lengthy horizontal evergreen branches. Beyond the tree was the ocean. We were very near a cliffs edge. It plunged fifty feet below. Waves crashed against the rocky walls. It reminded me of a scene from Wuthering Heights. He wasn’t Heathcliff. I knew because of the tattoo, but he was young with muscled legs. He walked to a bench near my tree, sat down and began applying sunscreen. He was joined by another couple of athletic young men. They were probably bicyclists getting ready for another day of riding.
Tuesday we made our way back to Merced to eat dinner with Terri at one of her favorite Mexican restaurants, then to Turlock where we parked the bike and Robby graciously drove us back to Sacramento. It was a three hour trip for him. About the time we were dosing off to sleep he texted to say he was safely home.
We arrived in Tulsa mid-afternoon Wednesday October the 7th to rain and a dead car battery. My mechanical Wendell worked six hours in the rain with the help of several passers by. At nine p.m. he rented a car and drove us home to Fort Smith about midnight. Despite the unwelcoming dead battery it was a wonderful and memorable trip to California.