We're up all night for good fun...

...we're up all night to get lucky.

Can I just say: these two certainly did

But let's back up. The groom's a dear high school friend from many (many) years ago. And the motley crew that made its way from Chi, Michigan, and Memphis to wrap its collective arms around the bride and groom included our smart and elegant high school English teach/drama coach.

 

Both she and her husband provided some of the photos you'll see here, including these of the insane limo the groom sent to pick us up at our hotel and ferry us to the wedding site.

If you had any doubts, 

now you know you're in LA

 This thing was a safari wagon with an open-air rear end. Were we even cool enough to be riding inside?

I think we all know the answer to that.

 

Let's ask our favorite English teacher to start the wedding story...

The sun shone brightly, the air was perfect and the vivid purples, pinks of the flowers surrounding the pool (and floating on it) were backed up by the green hills just beyond. 

 

The bride and groom were radiant with joy and love. 

 

And as the dark descended, the moon rose over the hills.

Then the party lights lit up the trees and reflected in the pool as the music played and guests danced. It was magical.

It began elegantly with coffee, cocktails, and colorful cupcakes on the gussied-up porch of the bride and groom's home. Engaging guests chatted and sipped while the sequestered bride added her finishing touches.

 

Weddings seem to generate an optimism that lifts everyone higher. Smiles all around as the ceremony got underway.

The groom and his brother

Daughters: of the groom and the bride

Holding the snark for once in their lives,

 longtime friends stand for the bride

She's beyond radiant, walking down the aisle with her beloved mother

The ceremony was expressed in both English and German, owing to the bride's country of birth. Even the groom attempted to profess his love and commitment in German, which was funnier than you might imagine, since the German guests--and the bride's mother--interrupted periodically with (supportive) laughter.  A for effort for sure.

 After the ceremony, guests wandered...

 ...while the kitchen sizzled with activity.

Soon we'd know why: to start, seared ahi tuna on a bed of avocado, mango, et al.

Magnificent food accompanied by individualized note quotes from the bride and groom. 

(We loved ours.)

Did I tell about the food? Local, organic, masterful chef.

The groom and his daughter

The groom's band played, the bride's daughter sang, all was right with the world.

Ooo--a love song for the bride, as her mother and the groom's daughter share the moment.

Yes there was cake

 And dancing

And one handsome son of the groom

Blessings, J+J. Whatta party.

Did I Mention The LA Wedding?

A magical night, and more on that soon.

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No Further West: LA Union Station

We pulled into LA's Union Station right on time Friday morning. Everything looks spit-polished as the station celebrates a milestone:

Los Angeles’ Union Station opened on May 3, 1939 and turns 75 this year. It’s now the subject of a new exhibition organized by the Getty, which has a Union Station archive of architectural drawings and sketches.

Check out the Getty's pictures and other materials at the link (they're far better than ours). Here are a few modest snaps we took on the way to our Metrolink connection. In the first two, how pleasant to be able to sit outside while waiting for a train.

 

Lunch with Sherry and Harry

What we discussed: the humanist movement, the skeptic society. He a retired naval officer, she recovering from a series of strokes. Kept claiming she couldn't find the words, but we found plenty.

And we laughed a lot.

 Harry's luncheon crabcake

Views outside the dining car.

Then on to Albuquerque, where the thermometer says 90 and it feels like 110 in the sun. I was hoping to see Dr Jordan again to bid him goodbye in his hometown, but apparently missed him. Then, after using the facilities in the station, I spotted him sitting with his luggage, awaiting his son. He's an old soul with laughing eyes and a happy view of life. It was good to say adios.

Scenes From A Train: Breakfast

At breakfast today we sat with the amiable high school teacher/coach Jeff and the irrepressible Dr Jordan, an 80-something radiologist whose father was the king of vidalia onions. 

Need I say more about the random threads that come together during a train trip?

Soon there was talk of positron emission tomography and HAIDA scans, nuclear medicine, and radioisotopes. Over scrambled eggs and bacon we learned the arc of Dr Jordan's radiological career, which began before CT scans and continues today.  "Imagine!" said he, "that we've come all this way and today I can read an image on my iphone!"

We were fairly captivated learning the vidalia's history:

During the tough days of the Great Depression, farmers had high hopes of a new cash crop. These hard-working men had grown everything from corn to cotton in Georgia’s sandy soil, and onions seemed to hold some promise of better profits. Imagine their surprise and concern when what grew was not an instant money-maker but a strange onion that wasn’t hot!

 Only on the train...

Viva Amtrak: Chi to LA

Even as I write, shoeless older adults with extreme infirmities are being stopped and screened at airports around the country.

I don't want to jinx anything, but Amtrak's one smooth take-off. Here's Art chillin' in the Metropolitan Lounge in Chi, awaiting the call to our train. Free wi-fi, java, and snacks.

The worst part is the diesel exhaust that fills the underground boarding area.

But inside it's good to stretch out. See upper bunk on left? The couch pulls out to be lower bunk. There's even a tiny private bathroom to your right, complete with shower.

Our gracious cabin attendant Linda stops by to assure us she's there for anything we need. Ice, coffee, juice, bed turn-down. Then she moves on to other sleeping compartments.

Art sets up  the GPS so we can track our progress on the ipad map. He's showing off his new pass-through power cable, which passes charging power through the GPS device and into the ipad.

If you've read this space before, it's the same story (!).  We've got an earlybird dinner rez--5:15.  Time for cocktails and, yes, our cooler's ready with booze, snacks, and mixers (along with fruit, veggies, cheese, and kefir). We'll be rocked to sleep tonight...