By some accounts we had over the last two days the most snow in the region for a decade. So what were we to do? Play, of course.

Where? Grandma’s house. Of course. It was an all-day wait for the much anticipated arrival of cousins Jenna and Riley and Aunt Heather. All the boys had some kind of sled / toboggan

Leave it to Jake to come up with the grand plan. Lubbock is not blessed with topography that produces toboggan runs or ski slopes. However, given the quantity of snow we had, Jake calculated he could build a kiddie slope purely out of snow.

Applying snow engineering techniques learned during a two-year stint in Ohio, he commandeered tubs, trash cans, and toy boxes and used them as the molds to build large blocks of snow. When plain snow in the back yard was not enough, he began harvesting snow from the roof of the house. It was the light, dry, fluffy stuff … not the damp, sticky stuff affectionately known in California as “Sierra cement.”

So it took a little extra work to build the tobogganing slope – ultimately requiring a little help from some water mist and skillful sculpting. But the slide worked just fine – for awhile. When Jude stalled mid-slope, Jake determined to test the slide out. Not a good idea. Toboggan stopped and Jake kept going – face first into the snow with the result that he sported haute couture the rest of the day.

In the end, continuous packing of new snow and a little help from a step-stool and some tree prunings bolstered the top of the slope – the starting gate – and the toboggan run worked fine for a couple days.

We gained a new appreciation for the expression “wedding party” during a late June visit to California for a family event. What a wonderful experience! Grandma and I went to extend well wishes to  nephew Tony and his bride, and we came back much richer.  The ceremony and reception took place at Hummingbird Ranch in Simi Valley, just a mile from where we last lived before returning to Lubbock in 2003. It was a beautiful, wooded setting for a late afternoon event that went well into the night.

Tony not only married Kristine Bagramyan, but embraced a large, traditional Armenian family; and the gathering after the wedding ceremony bore wonderful testimony to the ideas of weddings as celebration and of the uniting of families.

The wedding ceremony (on the lawn) was short, sweet, and direct, and participants sat facing north, toward the villa, which was uphill,  on the other side of  a brook and small pond.  Following the ceremony, there were light hors d’oeuvres and drinks around a swimming pool before the group gathered for dinner and the real party.

What a spread!

All were  directed to assigned tables – 10 people each at 14 tables. As we entered the dining courtyard, each table contained a variety of salads, many representing one corner of the world or another. Each table likewise was generously provided with whiskey, wine, and soft drinks.

After about 45 minutes of eating or so, the music started. The bride and groom took the floor. Then others joined, and the pace increased. Soon the courtyard dance floor contained dozens who waved, clapped hands, talked, laughed, shouted, tried various steps, and carried on – for another 45 minutes. Then we resumed eating, and they brought in different courses. In three quarters of an hour, the call to dance rang out again as the pace and the volume of the music increased.

And so it went, well into the night. Somebody pulled Nancy onto the floor. Finally, I joined the dance long enough, evidently, to be noticed. The father of the groom (“my English is broke”) came over and shook my hand. Tony came over to our table and pronounced “a successful party” because “you got up and danced.” It’s difficult to argue with that reasoning.