A Lovely Wedding By the Sea

Last weekend, I celebrated the marriage of my high school friend, Emma, to David, a charming young Scotsman. They were married at The Bradley Inn, a darling property in Pemaquid, Maine. The reception was held under the traditional white tent and the decorations were gorgeous: green, blue, and yellow bunting and twinkle lights decorated the tent's ceiling, fresh summer flowers sat prettily in sparkling blue Ball jam jars, a four-course meal was served, consisting of lobster bisque, an heirloom tomato salad, vegetable risotto (the vegetarian option), and a choice between vanilla cake with raspberry filling or carrot cake. There was lots of dancing and revelry under a moonlit sky. After the bride and groom departed, the younger folks in the wedding party strolled down the road to the Pemaquid Lighthouse to continue the celebrations into the wee hours of the morning. Despite our joyful noise, there was a profound quiet walking through the tall, spare pines to the rocky cliffs of Pemaquid Point.

I rose early the next morning and returned to the point, gazing out upon the cool, lulling palette of the morning sea. Grey-blue colors, peppered with the soft pink of the rising sun. I remembered the first time I came to this spot - eight years old and bemused by climbing all the craggy rocks and discovering the vernal pools and shallow ecosystems. And now I was here, let's say many years later, and everything was quite unchanged. But at the same time, always moving. The sea, cold and powerful, crashing against the rough-hewn rocks. I've missed being close to the sea. There is nothing quite like the feeling of the cold Atlantic air against your skin. It was a peaceful moment amidst these crazy days.