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July 26, 2006
Days in Durham
Hanging out with the Matthews is always a treat. We spend most of our time doing this:
Relaxation is top priority when we get together which is why I find it amazing that we have managed to see quite a bit of Britain during these moments. This last venture south to see Brad and Abi in their new home in Durham included a day trip to York - wandering the old streets in the warm sun, basking in the shadow of the Minster and enjoying a well-timed ice cream cone...Here we are on top of Clifford's tower, outside the walls of the city:
But of course we devoted long hours to reading, eating and chatting with a break in the middle to row down the Weir River and catch a splendid view of Durham Cathedral.
Does life get any better than this?
Posted by j and b at 10:10 PM | Comments (7)
July 18, 2006
Wherein my little sister becomes Mrs. Dey
They're married! And it was a beautiful wedding. I've been over the pictures at least a dozen times solidifying memories that are at the risk of being lost to the general blur of the week. We were there for just a few days and every day was packed full. Sometimes I wonder if it's even more fun being a sister of the bride than the bride. I got all the fun and none of the pressure! Of course it wasn't exactly stress free either - there were several "Don't tell Courtney!" moments but all told no major catastrophes.
Favorite moments? Sitting up late at night with my sisters, surrounded by packing, talking about memories and plans for the future; escorting Courtney, in all her bridal splendor, up to the sanctuary for a moment with Charlie before the picture taking started; watching their first dance; sitting with our feet up at home, after the wedding was long over and everything had been cleared, drinking an appropriate beverage and removing the hundreds of pins that held my hair in place all day.
Weddings are wonderful - so full of joy and hope - I was honored to be a part of this one and could not be happier for my little sister even though she can expect a lifetime of correcting the pronounciation of her last name: DIE, spelled DEY.
Here's to the Deys! May your marriage be full of laughter and good wine!
Posted by j and b at 07:02 PM | Comments (3)
July 08, 2006
When in Scotland...
H.L. Mencken (journalist of the early 20th century) reportedly said that "No married man is genuinely happy if he has to drink worse whisky than he used to drink when he was single." I'm glad to say that I am a very happy man.
Though it is a bit tardy getting onto the blog, I enjoyed my first whisky tasting a little while back with a bunch of other St. Mary's folks (the Divinity school at St. Andrews is St. Mary's College). I've had a few drams of the sweet amber drink before, but this night was a first. We had assembled some 7 or 8 bottles of various kinds of whisky (everyone split the cost of a bottle with another), all coming from different regions in Scotland -- highland, lowland, island, etc. Basically it is like a wine tasting, but a bit more ... potent. We all agreed that the later whiskies were the better ones, but it's hard to know if that is really all to do with the whiskies or our developing state. After going at it for a while I think you could throw just about anything in there and it would get four or five stars.
As you can tell, I'm the beginner drinking out of the plastic tumbler while the pros (Luke and Daniel) have their own special "whisky glasses" -- actually I think Luke just bummed his off someone; he's just pretending to be a pro (though note the position of the fingers on the glass; looks rather experienced to me).
Posted by j and b at 07:22 PM | Comments (3)