Thursday, April 29, 2010

Texas Glory



In my last post I wrote about my trip to Texas to visit my daughter and see my firstborn grandson married. Rather than go over every party and aspect of this grand occasion, I thought I would just tell about some of my impressions.


Above is a picture of the wedding couple. The wedding was distinctly a reflection of Chelsea ‘s unique tastes and it made for a very interesting and varied experience. Chelsea was a dream in her mermaid like dress—one that very few women could get by with. A perfect figure wrapped tightly with the ruffles below her derrier (I think). The bridesmaids wore short skirts with cowboy boots and Chelsea herself is said to have changed into her boots under her dress for the dancing. Food and drink were wonderful and plentiful and the setting at the ranch was beautiful.

I learned to love the Texas Aggie’s fight song and it is ringing in my head all the time. There were a lot of the grads there and they get in a circle and sing it and then lock their legs and sway and whoop at the end. They first did this on the ship we were on for the rehearsal dinner and I thought it sort of interesting, but the second time at the reception for the wedding, I decided I really liked it.


By the way, on this ship we were supposed to see millions of bats flying out from under one of the bridges. We sat and waited but this was not their night. If Texans were this hard up for entertainment I felt sorry for them. And of course, they aren’t , but people were lined up on the streets above and all the ships were sitting there waiting. I guess it is sort of like the swallows coming back to Capastrano, but then this is supposed to happen every night!


But the really beautiful wild life I saw were the two white swans on the lake guarding their young. And deer were around too at night.


Roadside Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes and some little white things and some pink cup like wild flowers were abundant along the roadsides all over. Sometimes there were fields of bluebonnets—a lovely sight. And the trees and shrubs were at least 10 shades of green all the way from almost black to a light chartreuse. I never became a great painter, but I did learn to see the world in a whole more vivid way!


But my most favorite sight are the cows out to pasture not in fields , but in groves of live oaks. I love this scene more than any other in this hill country. It is one of the first things I ever noticed about the Texas countryside.


Learned that when Texans say “It is only down the road a piece” could mean anywhere from 15 to 100 miles.


A plethora of friends and family attended—260 of them found their way through curvy, hilly LBJ country even fording streams to get to this wedding. In the car I was riding in we were using one of those new-fangled direction things they have on the cell phones and finally even the machine gal gave up and got lost in the wilderness we were in!


So many of these people have such interesting family histories that go way back to Poncho Via I think. I believe they all fought at the Alamo along with Davy Crockett. I jest. But Chelsea goes back to Robert E. Lee and her grandfather and great grandfather were all professors at Texas A and M.



When it rains it is as if someone is up there tipping over the clouds it comes down so hard and fast. And the thunder scared the bejesus out of Dave from San Diego.


The lake house is heaven on earth. People we knew from all over the United States were there—good friends that one wishes one could see every day . There were people from Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Colorado. Old friends who mostly all knew one another met for dinner and two or three good evenings of catch-up conversation and fun. It was a very special time.


Chelsea and Jake are somewhere in Italy now enjoying their honeymoon. They had an auspicious beginning. Let us hope and pray that their lives will continue to be filled with happiness and joy.

22 comments:

Gail said...

A honeymoon in Italy! Fantastic. Sounds like you had a great time. I love the fact the bridemaids were cowboy boots.

Gail said...

Proof read, Gail, proof read! The bridesmaids WORE cowboy boots. Sorry.

Wander to the Wayside said...

I grew up in Texas, and remember the fields of bluebonnets so well! Your description of the events sounds like so much fun (except for the bat watching.

Wanda..... said...

Hi Bernie, your description of the wedding and celebration was beautiful. I hope the happy couple get to see it. Glad you had such a good time.
♥...Wanda

Anita said...

I've been hearing about this wedding in your daughter's blog. Gotta get over there and see if she's written about it.
My blog reading time has not been that much lately, and I really miss it.
Anyway, glad to hear your thoughts about it, and fun to see the pictures. Go glad you had a good time, and like you, I wish the newlyweds a lifetime of love and true togetherness.

Jenna @ Falling Letters said...

That is a gorgeous dress! It sounds like a very fun wedding :)

yaya said...

What a great time! Thanks for the journey to Texas...looks like it was a beautiful wedding and a fun packed week!

Adrienne said...

what a fun wedding ...Oh those aggies ...I am still a Sooner no matter how long I live in TX congrates to Jake and Chellsie!

Bernie said...

I love the cowboy boots with their dresses, very original and the bride is beautiful and your grandson very handsome.....it sounds like you had a wonderful time Bernie, am so happy you had this time with family and friends being all together....love knowing you were surrounded by love.......:-) Hugs

Giada said...

Congratulations to newlyweds and I wish them a good honeymoon in beautiful Italy! (Which is also my Country). Best wishes, Giada

LaraAnn said...

Texas has never been on my list of places that I'd love to travel to but the way that you describe it makes it seem like a lovely place that I just might add to it.

Barb said...

Hi Bernie, I liked "attending" the wedding through your eyes and words. Are you safely back home now? Enjoy your weekend. Congratulations to the couple.

Ashleigh said...

Sounds wonderful and very "Texan," you had quite the experience and I, too, love the cows out in the pastures of live oaks...aaah, I do miss it sometimes...

June said...

The whole proceeding sounds like the epitome of high spirits! Just as a wedding should be.
My eastern mind cannot *grasp* Texas...

Deb Shucka said...

What a lovely reflection on what sounds like as perfect a family time as could possibly be. I love your impressions of Texas and the missing bats. I hope you're getting caught up with yourself now that you're home. Love.

Kat Weaver said...

Beautiful! I love Texas! I am an Okie, but our daughter and grand daughter are in Texas, so it is a special place for us as well! Love reading your blog...((Hugs))

Ash said...

i love the first pic. hope you'd a grand time! best wishes to the newly-wed couple.

http://ash-throughyoureyes.blogspot.com/

Giada said...

Today I visited your blog and... Thanks for adding me in your blog list, it was a really nice surprise!! See you soon, Giada :))

Joey said...

I just KNEW you would like Texas!

Those bats? They are so cool! You just don't see something like that everywhere.

She and her bridesmaids were beautiful. I like the boots. Yup, everybody wears em in Austin. Here in Dallas you don't seem them as much.. more in Fort Worth, near the stock yards.

I am very happy for you and your family.

Kissy Lovestuff said...

Just beautiful! Love the bridesmaids in cowboy boots, too!

#1Nana said...

I think we were in Texas at the same time. I was also there for a wedding where my granddaughters were the flower girls. The wild flowers were spectacular! I also wrote about my Texas wedding experiences in my blogs at
http://benchmark60.blogspot.com
http://plentifulsufficiency.blogspot.com

Gaby said...

Bernie,
I loved your wonderful story of the Texas wedding. I'm a born and bred Yankee, but I've lived in Texas for 22 years--this time. I completely understand what LaraAnn said about not picking Texas as a place to visit. I grumbled about living here for years, but now I'm working my way--for fun--through the Texas Monthly 'Bucket List" and really enjoying the place. Austin is my favorite city. If the wedding was your first visit to Texas, you came to the right place.

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