Greetings once again from Malagash.
This past week has been so beautiful and weather like this is easy to take. Once again it has been a busy time for us – another family wedding! Hopefully this is the end until next year when we travel to Edmonton for one!
Our niece Kristy Stairs was married last Saturday (Sept. 14) in Jacksonville, N.B. - a suburb of Woodstock! Her mother had assured us that it was going to be different and she wasn't wrong –different but beautiful.
The invitation stated that the ceremony would be at the end of Kinney Road and in the event of rain would be held in the old court house in Jacksonville. Well it rained and an hour before the scheduled time we were assured that it was going ahead out of doors.
So, wearing rain coats and carrying umbrellas we headed to the end of Kinney Road. First time for everything.
We joined a lot of other guests and walked over a neat little bridge, built by the groom's mom to accommodate a large wheelchair and entered into an "enchanted forest."
A large cleared area surrounded by a canopy of huge, tall fir and spruce trees. Twinkling lights through the trees and special seating had been arranged for us all, square hay bales covered with quilts, many of them made by Kristy's maternal and paternal grandmothers.
There were extras just in case we got cold.
Right on time our bride walked down the white carpet supported by her dad to where Tyrel, her groom was waiting.
The canopy of trees kept us fairly dry and both moms looked wonderful without raincoats - just lovely umbrellas.
The ceremony was fairly short, conducted by a local justice of the peace, with a lovely poem being read by a good friend.
In keeping with the outdoor theme Kristy and her two attendants carried fern bouquets. Following the ceremony beautiful pictures were taken in the court house which had been decorated with trees to keep up the theme just in case.
A reception was held at the Masonic Hall where the tables were decorated with small plants which Kristy and Tyrel had made for all the guests – great idea for a favour!
Dinner was different also, buffet style - featuring tacos and wraps with all the trimmings. Once again cupcakes took the place of a wedding cake.
There was a little one for the happy couple to cut and share a piece. Great dj music and lots of fun and dancing.
Traditional weddings as we knew have gone by the way-side it would appear. This couple did it their way and it worked!
We were so pleased to have the other most recent wedding couple, our grandson Erik and his bride, Nicoli came from Fredericton to celebrate with their cousins.
All of our three summer wedding couples were there! So much fun and it was great for Erik and Nicoli to get to know their eastern cousins.
We older ones left the reception fairly early, but I hear the party went on for quite awhile afterwards and by looks of the hall the next day it was a good one! Our very best wishes to all three young couples who are starting a new life together.
of Dorian are still being felt in our area. Lots of chainsaws going and wood being cut either for firewood or being thrown on a burn pile. I sure wish our bridge over the channel was still intact. I miss walking the beach. I can still do it but would have to be at the discretion of the tides. I don't want to wade through knee-high water to take a walk. However, we were lucky in that most of the sections were salvaged.
of walks, our little walking group is going strong in the Malagash Community Hall. We average anywhere from three to seven women and men every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. There’s always room for more. One of our men has just had surgery on his leg and his surgeon strongly encouraged him to walk even though it might hurt. There are so many benefits of this little group.
By walking in the hall we avoid encounters with the bears, and yes, they are still around, weather is always good in the hall and no heavy truck traffic to avoid.
Have a good week everyone and stay safe. Keep an eye out for our school buses, they are carrying very precious cargo. Remember, the best things in life are free, but it costs a lot of time and money before we find this out!
Marian Durling writes for the Malagash area for the Amherst News.
