it's a nice day for a....

Well, it wasn't exactly a white wedding, but a wedding none-the-less and it was lovely. The blessed union of Eloise Stiles and Robert Blalock went through without a hitch; well, maybe just one. It was the shortest wedding I've ever been to, about five minutes; just the vows and the rings. It was short and sweet, as they say, and it was about freaking time.

Eloise, my grandmother, and Robert first met when they were in high school. For reasons I'm still not sure of, my grandmother ran off with my grandfather shortly there after. Many years later, after my father was married, my grandparents devorced, and Eloise and Robert found themselves together again and have been for what I guess is about the last 25 years. Hence the, "about freaking time" comment.

The drive home from Florida was something of an act of God. If anyone remembers the storms this past Friday night, I had the blessed fortune of driving from Pensacola to Chattanooga through the middle of it all. Dad told me to drive home through Atlanta to get ahead of the storm, which I did, and missed all kinds of tornados by a matter of minutes.

On the plus side, I love driving and while driving 7 hours through the night in the middle of a huge storm is not necessarily someone's idea of a good time, it is mine. I love to drive; it makes me think and leaves me refreshed, despite not getting home until 4:30 in the morning.

Home was also nice. I haven't been in forever and it was good to get time with my family, get outside for hike, and the such. Chattanooga is a beautiful place, for those who have never been, and I like to be reminded of that from time to time. We went for a hike to this place called Edward's Point (see picture) which has a remarkable view of the river and the Chattanooga valley. Dad and I rented Good Night and Good Luck, easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, and stopped to see the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in the state of Tennessee, which is apparently only two minutes drive from my parents. It's a pretty cool house, so I believe I'll post a picture of that as well. Notice the cantilevered carport, which is kind of visible to the right. Also, the trim is not wood but rather poured concrete. I don't know why the sudden interest in Wright but I think this is fascinating.


Finally, my friend Scott gave me some sweet Sharpie tattoos last night. In case these pictures aren't clear enough, one's a bald eagle riding a harley and wailing on a guitar. Notice the flag, the lightning bolts, and the flames. Sweet. The other is an homage of sorts to Dale Earndhart. Part of me is sad this will come off in the shower and the rest of me is grateful I don't have to live with this. Cheers!