Weekend Getaway: Day 3 - the wedding

Day three was the actual wedding day.  I have been to very few weddings in my life.  As an atheist and someone who is anti-state, I do not really see the purpose of getting married.  I suppose, for financial purposes, it could make sense considering that our culture is set up to give larger breaks to married couples under a specific income threshold.  Even in those circumstances, I still do not see the desire for a wedding.

Given all of this, I still went to Ashley's father's wedding.  It was a nice break from the grind at home and an opportunity to get out in the woods.  I have also been trying my hand at taking better pictures and I though this would be a good opportunity.  Throughout the entire weekend, I took several thousand photos.  I hope enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Prior to the wedding, Ashley took her daughter, Kaleigh, to do some tourist gem mining.  It was a memory that Ashley had with her family as she was a child and wanted to share it with Kaleigh.  I tagged along to document the event.

After gem mining, Kaleigh went with her aunts, Kristie and Rachael, to get her hair done for the wedding.  Ashley and I headed back to the lodge and I cooked began to cook some lunch.  The lodge had some super cool bowls that I got to use.  I wanted to take them home with me!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

1 bunch of basil
4 tomatoes (cubed)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 onion (sliced)
1  1/2 cups of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a baking pan, add the onion, garlic, tomato, oil, and basil.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes release their liquid.

In a blender, add the coconut milk and roasted tomato mixture about 2 cups at a time.  Blend until smooth and pour into a pot.  Once all the ingredients are smooth, add the salt and pepper and heat on the stove top for about 15 minutes.  Do not allow to get to a simmer.

This was a great lunch for us.  I was able to use the purple basil that we got at the farmers market.  It turned out great, it was hearty and rich.  I added the mustard greens and we dipped the bread we also got at the market.  It was an excellent lunch.

Then it was off to the wedding.  It was actually a fun time to be around Ashley's family.  They all seemed so happy to be there and it was great to see them enjoying themselves. 

The food was great.  There were simple salad options but the chef also made a pair of vegan meals just for Ashley and I.  We had cracked wheat, with corn and greens.  It was so thoughtful of her family to make sure there were options for us. 

Dessert was an ice cream bar.  Ashley and I brought our own soy ice cream and enjoyed sundaes with the rest of the wedding.

It was a nice evening, to my surprise.  Everyone just seemed to be in such a good mood and enjoying themselves, even if I do not quite understand why.

After the wedding, I had to make a bedtime snack!  Using some local rhubarb and strawberries I whipped up a little treat, topped with some toasted granola.  Decent.