[Click on any photo to get a higher resolution. Of course the high point of the weekend was the wedding of my niece Audrey to Justin. But their are a lot of witnesses to that event and I expect that I will add little to the collective memory of that moment, perhapes a few photos. But the whole weekend was also a reunion of families. The New Hampshire Smith family, and the descendents of the Smiths of Brockport - or at least several branches of that tribe.
Berkeley, California Kristina and I had arrived on Friday and spent a few hours with the Floridians and California branch in San Manteo where Audrey and Justin live. Robin arrived in the middle of the night after late flight from New York City. But for me the weekend really started when we arrived at Will's apartment in Berkeley. Here was the convergence of our New Hampshire family, with the delightful addition of Eleanor, Will's girl friend and another true Granite Head. We kicked around Berkeley for awhile, hunting out coffee shops and bakeries (today is my father's birthday), but generally fled gravity and worked our way up hill through the Berkeley campus. We stopped at the Berkeley Space Science Center, a place Kristina has often visited, to enjoy the view. Those scientist must be a dedicated crowd if they can concentrate on their art with this vista of the bay and Golden Gate to distract them. Our accent topped out at Tilden Park, at the top of the Berkeley Hills where we stretched our legs and strolled around the high grassy hills for awhile. A most pleasant afternoon. But eventually gravity took over and we came down from our mountain top and headed to San Ramon, where the wedding crowds were gathering. We caught up with most of the guest from the bride's side (we are vastly outnumbered) for dinner where we also celebrated my father's birthday!  View of San Francisco, The Bay and The Golden Gate from Berkeley Space Science Center
San Ramon, California If you are not directly in a wedding party, it is not really clear what you had ought to do during the morning before the big event. You can only shine your shoes and iron you tie so many times; if you have that sort of shoes and tie. I'd rather go walking. So Kristina, Robin and I kidnaped Delmont and took him to Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. a pleasant talk, among the hills and cow, and when it was done, we have had our fun, and it is time to hear some vows.
San Ramon, California I have no photographs of the wedding itself, I guess I was paying too much attention to the ceremony and not enough to my duties as family historian. I will, however, relate a conversation I had with one of Justin's cousins during the reception. She told me that she had never met Audrey before that day, in fact never even seen her before Audrey walked down the aisle. But when she saw Audrey, a beautiful young women in a fairy-tale dress she thought, "Justin is marring a princess - she's gorgeous!".
First, a dance video (30 Megs, slow download): Second, a large collection:
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