Happy Anniversary
Four weddings and a Funeral – movie.
Tragedy averted. Boy meets girl. They end up happily – ever after.
Ok! I met Colleen again … nearly fifty years later… it’s a long story… ha ha… we met in the third grade.
After a courtship… we bought a house, lived together, etc etc… she finally said… we need to be married. I was slow moving to finally complete the divorce.
But… finally! We’ve been happily married – no oxymoron here! Since 2019!!! Wow! I wish it had been 50 years. Then again, a happy ending beats all other endings. It’s been long enough – married – that we forgot the day and did not plan anything special. Colleen’s cousin reminded us. We are having a dinner party for their daughter’s birthday. Ha ha. No, I made a reservation in Colleen’s favorite restaurant of the moment and we will celebrate a day earlier. Things change, it’s not the same restaurant as pictured (before) – fortunately, the same husband (me). Meanwhile, how do I get her a card when she is with me 24/7?
I love my wife
As I was falling asleep, Colleen said, “I’m not sure you like me anymore.” It’s natural to have worries during a marriage. Nope! I love you!! … to pieces… to the moon and back! Second chances are few. There is a lot I would do differently if I could go back… well, it would have certainly been a different life for the two of us. Maybe all is not blissful all of the time, but, right now in this moment, it is about as close to heaven as you can get on earth. Today is not about great photography (it’s my blog!); it is about memories we have collected in a short time together in places like… Maine and the Butt of Lewis. We met when we were young and reconnected when we were old. Time is short, so, we celebrate anniversaries every month instead of years. Lately, we have sort of let this get slightly forgotten. But today is a “day.” Happy av-en-ursery, my dear.
Well then what’s to be the reason for becoming man and wife? is it love that brings you here or love that brings you life? And if loving is the answer, then who’s the giving for? …
Wedding Song – Peter, Paul, and Mary
Happy…
…Anniversary. We don’t do (attend) too many weddings. Too old or too young… it would be grandchildren next. Friends?… done. Kids of friends? … ditto. My cousin Amy got a late start and we found ourselves at her excellent wedding. Little did I know, I’d be doing it (marrying) again. Happy? Yes! …as in, ever after! It’s not often life comes around with a second chance. Impolitic? Yes, one can see the pros and cons by looking from different directions. Me? I got one direction. Grab on for the ride of my life. It’s been “no contest” this past year. Sorry, if anyone feels otherwise. I’m not having regrets.
Who What Where and How
I think the “WHAT” is what counts. This was Colleen’s idea of announcement and I executed the concept. We are not finger models. But you may surmise correctly. Done! It’s relatively painless to accomplish in Delaware. The party is later. I did manage to photograph the event with a bit of help. It was a quiet. We eloped. We did not hurry although in concept we did? Fait accompli.
“More colloquially, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one’s place of residence together with one’s beloved with the intention of getting married.”
The minister and witnesses had prior commitments. So they left after the champagne toast and cake. Not my idea (the ETOH and cake). Six days and counting now… The family has been congratulatory. I don’t want to drag out the announcement further. As I said, “It’s been a heck of a month!”
Disconnected
This image is disconnected from my story again. Yes, sentimental again. It just keeps happening. Personal. What is clear is that folks like a happy ending. Go to the movies? It’s always a happy ending. Mostly. Really. Think about it? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? I never watch the last scene. Too sad. I know how it ends. They die. I don’t need the reminder. Nor the visual. Be careful about talking about sadness or sentiment. Folks want uplifting stories.
Did you see “Saving Private Ryan?” Tom Hanks says to Matt Damon (paraphrasing), “Nope, that is my private memory. Mine. I don’t share that with anyone else. It’s mine.” (That movie also ended badly.)
Here’s an image that would never ordinarily make this blog. It’s plants – coral. Boring. Who likes pictures of green leaved trees? But fall foliage, ah, a different kettle of fish entirely. Is humor (mine) obvious? I’m more in your face. Did you understand the reference to the ‘kettle of fish?’ No? Sorry. Someone might.
It’s nice when someone gets it. I like to whistle (while I work) – “If I only had a brain” from the Wizard of Oz. Once, just once, another surgeon got it. Did you? Ok. I’ll give you a hint. I do brain surgery as my day job. Duh?
It’s been a hell of a month. Big doings going on my way. Decisions, pondering, rearranging my life. That’s about as much as you get. But a couple years back I had another life altering encounter. So, yes, this is another special day. I suppose I could backtrack and recall lots of great days. Birthday, Christmas, on and on….
It’s very interesting. In this digital photography age my images are all numbered. The numbers repeat after 9999. So there are many images with the same numbers since I went digital in 2004. I do a search and all the 2345 images come up. It’s interesting to see what they show. Images come so fast now. I hardly remember except to look it up.
(An aside: the rhododendron sat on our deck for about thirty years in a container and survived everything that brutal winter and summer in NYC could bring. It would bloom on David’s birthday in April. When we moved, we took it. It’s transplanted in the yard on Long Island. Retired… and hopefully happy.)
Still, there are some special days. Two years ago, this was a very special day for me. Sorry, I ain’t sharing. You will have to settle for this image that does not match the story. I was just wondering how I’d work in this orphan coral image into a post somewhere.
Special Day
I’m sentimental. You might not know this. Or if you know me, well, who knows? But I’m admitting it. Hey! It’s my blog. I’ve posted this pic recently. It was not staged, not Photoshopped. It was a spontaneous capture. I rose over the crest of a coral ridge. For an instant these two fish came together. It was not a kiss. Fish don’t kiss. Silly! We interpret what we see in our own contextual lives. It was but an instant. And I’d have just as easily missed this shot. But my camera was ready and I got exactly this single image. It’s a special day today. It’s an anniversary of sorts. That’s about all I’ll mention. The rest of the story is a memory private for me. It’s not that I won’t or don’t share. It’s just that some days are special and deserve a place in my heart. You might have one too. It’s nice to secretly share something in the public domain and yet keep privacy. Too often we shout from the top of any place and ask for applause and acclamation. I’m not. I’m just letting you know that this is a special day for me. And … you know who you are. Shhhhh.
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