Ahoy Maties!

Last weekend, I headed north to Alexandria Bay on the New York/Canada border. The 1,000 Islands in the St. Lawrence River is such a beautiful spot for a wedding. Unless it's raining!

My sister, Valerie's wedding weekend started out perfectly. Blue sky. Warm weather. Terrific sunset. So I settled into my room in Alex Bay on Friday evening, ignoring the forecast for Saturday, wedding day.

I woke up to buckets of rain water falling outside my hotel window. I snapped a picture of this barge crossing in front of Boldt Castle on Heart Island, the location for the wedding later in the day. You can see how gray the skies were first thing in the morning.

Because this area is heavily tourist and resort oriented, it's easy to forget that it's also a major shipping thoroughfare. Then you see the barges and you are reminded of the river's importance to commerce.

Fortunately, as the day went on, the weather cleared. We caught the boat for Heart Island for the short ceremony around four. George Boldt built the castle on Heart Island as a summer residence in the early 1900s. As the story goes, all work stopped on the construction when his wife, to whom the structure was dedicated, died. The Castle fell into hard times until it was purchased by the Bridge Authority. It is now beautifully restored and the grounds make a perfect wedding destination. And it's a popular tourist stop on the tours through the 1,000 Islands.

Even though the clouds didn't completely dissipate, the short ceremony was in the clear.

My sister has always loved the Popeye cartoons. Can you tell by their cake?

Here's the happy couple. The wedding theme featured tropical flamingos! Notice the fun glasses. Al may not be happy that this picture is now on the internet.

But that's what sisters-in-law are for!

Stay dry!
Joan