Our wedding 36 years ago

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary, 36 years together.

We got married in the little chapel in Yosemite on a Saturday evening. It was cold with lots of snow on the ground. A path had been dug thru the snow to the chapel steps. Long icicles hung from the roof of the chapel.

Inside the chapel small wreaths were hung in the windows and candles placed in sconces along the wall. An organ was in the rear left side where Dale’s cousin Darlene played Christmas Carols to the small group that had gathered. The chapel was warm with the candle light.

I stayed at the cabin with Dale’s mom and my mom getting ready while his dad ferried guests to the chapel. Dale, his brothers, my brothers and friends went on to the chapel to await our arrival with Dale and his attendants waiting outside.

So my mom, Dale’s mom and I stayed behind at the cabin doing whatever brides and their moms do while Dale’s dad Ernie drove the short distance, maybe a mile or so, to the chapel to deposit someone or another. After 30 minutes we began to become concerned, no Ernie. After 45 minutes, finally Dale’s dad arrived. The road between the chapel and the cabin is a one way road and he couldn’t just drive 100 yards the wrong way back to the cabin but had to drive all over Yosemite Valley, the long way, following the one way road. I, needless to say was beside myself.

We finally arrived at the chapel and once inside Darlene was so glad to see us. She was sick of playing Christmas Carols over and over. Dale was about frozen outside waiting. His attendants, who’d ditched him and gone inside, quickly returned to his side glad to be his loyal attendant once again. The wedding started as if nothing had gone array.

We took our grandkids to Yosemite to shoot photos this past spring. We of course visited our chapel and the kids insisted on taking photos of us there. When they are older we will tell them about how Grandma was 45 minutes late to her own wedding and of the adventures we had when we first started our lives together.