Lots going in since my last post over a month ago.
Brenda and Bernie's son, Will, and his fiance Amanda got married on June 29th. Because the wedding was to be in the yard at Brenda's there was much work put in before hand. They worked tirelessly for many weeks to make sure everything was perfect. It also prompted the start and finish of some long planned projects that had just never got underway.
The morning of the wedding dawned beautiful and sunny. I was doing the cake and cupcakes and we dropped those off at the hall in the morning. Then Brenda and I set about arranging tables and chairs around the yard. The ceremony was taking place at 5:00 followed by drinks and nibbles before heading to the rec centre for dinner and dancing.
As the day progressed, the clouds moved in. Just before time for the wedding very light drizzle was starting. Then it was all hands on deck to move the motorcycles out of Bernie's shop and quickly move the tables, etc inside for later. Fortunately the rain didn't really amount to much and with umbrellas in hand the ceremony was able to be held as planned in the front yard.
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| All smiles now that the day if finally here |
In restrospect most found the slight dampness somewhat refreshing. Probably much better than really hot, sticky and humid would have been. Needless to say a good time was had by all.
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| Fresh oysters anyone? |
I was challenged with making a cake to look like a birch log in keeping with the rustic theme. I'd met with Amanda and she sent me a picture of what she had in mind. Then sometime later we came across what was labeled a" lumberjack cake" online. Now there's a challenge if ever there was one. Since the VanGaal boys all spend a fair bit of time in the woods, it only made sense to give it a try and Amanda was a really good sport and said go for it.
I researched how to actually make a cake that looks like red lumberjack plaid and decided this was doable. I think the results turned out not too bad.
First you bake a bunch of cakes in different colours and flavours.
Then you cut them up and put them back together, just not in the same order they started in
Then you stack them in a very particular order so that when you cut into the cake the inside looks like this:
Yes, this is actually THE cake
Then once the layers are stacked you ice it to look like a birch log
Put it on a table with a bunch of cupcakes and see how many people are fooled into thinking this is just a log as part of the decor - turns out quite a few.
The bride was happy and so was I so that's all that really counts in this case!
All in all a really great day. Congrats to the happy couple.
Once all the work and stresses of the wedding were passed, it was time for some down time.
Where better to relax and destress than supper on the beach. Caitlyn and Mike were here for a few extra days so it was only fitting.
The summer is quickly passing by. It seems like it took forever to get here but it finally arrived. We've had some pretty warm and humid days but certainly nothing like southern Ontario has experienced this past while.
Patti, Greg, Meghan and Tristen got to escape for a short time (although maybe not escape the heat) as they traveled to Spain with Meg's dance group. She left a few days before the family and traveled with the other dancers and guests. Greg's mom went with them to enjoy the whole experience. The rest of them arrived a couple of days later and they all spent quite a bit of time touring around. The kids were performing at several music festivals but along with that they had a fair bit of downtime.
As the family had rented a car they were able to travel a little further afield and enjoy some great experiences. By all accounts a great time was had by all.
Lots of fun but bittersweet that the girls of Comp A danced together as a group for the very last time. They've become such a tight knit team and have been through a lot together. I know there are some friendships that will last a lifetime.
But just before they left for Spain, everyone drove out to Quebec for James' graduation from his basic training. Very proud of this young man...
and his scary looking friends! (yup, that's him, far right in the back row)
Meanwhile, back on the island, things are slowly progressing. Bits of grass are starting to grow, the skirting is all in place and a fresh coat of paint has been applied. Work is now underway on the front and back decks to replace the temporary stairs. Needless to say Lloyd has been busy.
We have a small semi circle of grass beside what will eventually be our lane. I wanted an old hand pump to put in the centre. Not an easy find. But I kept looking and finally found one locally. It was old and brown and missing a handle but I could absolutely see past that. I think the end result speaks for itself.
When I first got it home, Lloyd pointed something out about it I had failed to notice. It was made by Beatty Bros. of Fergus, ON. It's like a little piece of history from home!
