Minam River Wedding - Part 2

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm half Irish - my father was born in Newfoundland where his parents had emigrated to from Ireland. I can say most definitely that I inherited the fair Irish skin as well as that well-known feisty Irish demeanor!

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful suggestions for my wonky strip piecing! I am continually amazed at the helpfulness and generosity of the blogging community! As soon as I apply your suggestions I'll post another picture.

OK - I know you've all been waiting.....

Minam River Wedding - Part 2

While we were waiting to see if Otis could be ordained as a minister over the Internet, we began to make some actual wedding plans. August seemed to be the best month for both of us. Not only would it be warm in the Eagle Cap, but the fishing would be fantastic! Hey – this wasn’t just a wedding – it was also a chance to go fishing! We settled on August 21st.

Next was what to do for a ceremony. We could be fairly certain that if Otis performed the ceremony, it would have to be short and sweet. Otis is an outdoor kind of guy! He guides hunts for bear, cougar, elk and deer. He’ll set up camp in the wilderness, cook you a terrific meal over the campfire after a hard day hunting or fishing, play a few tunes on the banjo and tell you stories that will make you laugh so hard your sides hurt. What he’s not is a terribly sentimental fellow. We decided to have him perform traditional vows and include a short Native-American blessing we liked at the end of the ceremony.

Finally, what to wear? We knew we wanted to be married while standing in the Minam River. There are many really pretty spots on the river close to the lodge on the other side of the landing strip. Anything formal was out of the question. Mr. Squash wanted to wear his fishing gear then head upstream with our fishing rods after the ceremony. You know, I actually gave this some consideration --- for about 3 seconds! The going fishing part was great by me, but wearing waders and a fishing vest were not! We settled on shorts and a Hawaiian shirt for Mr. Squash and a sundress and sweater I had hanging in my closet that I had only worn once. Shoes – well Teva water sandals, of course!! They weren’t very fashionable, but would keep us upright on the slippery rocks while we said our vows!

Not long after we finalized the details, we received a call from Teresa and Otis. Otis was an ordained minister thanks to a fantastic Internet site and $25.00! He also filled out the proper paperwork with the State of Oregon and donated another $25.00 to make it all legal. We were so happy that this was going to work!

Then we realized that we needed to firm up one last detail. I had already asked Teresa to be my matron of honor, but Mr. S. needed a best man. We again called Otis and Teresa and asked who else might be booked at the lodge that week. Turns out only one other couple were coming, and they were a couple we had met the previous year and liked a lot! Mr. S. called up Don, asked him to stand up for him, and Don said of course!

Stay tuned for more!