step back in time, step forward in time

[gurdonark]

I write this post on my parents' computer on what must be one of the slowest connections to the internet since 2400 bauds. Yesterday I finally got two hours of sleep, then did two important meetings, and then hit the road to Arkansas. My parents live in the 14,000 person town of Camden. The postman who lobbied to get the words "In God We Trust" placed on the coins lived in Camden. I could not describe the town better than in that sentence.

A family friend allowed our family to use his gorgeous ante-bellum home for my sister's wedding. Her fiance's family, from Oklahoma, is into horses, so the wedding was an informal wedding with western attire encouraged. I don't have a bolo or ostrich skin boots, so I worried about being misplaced, but fortunately,
"western attire" did not receive any of its more outre interpretations among the guests.

The wedding was attended only by family and a very few friends. The living room of the home had a large "square grand piano" (I/'d never seen such a curious thing before), upon which were placed a Bible (open to the 23rd Psalm--"the Lord is My Shepherd"), huge pots of green caladium leaves, five candles gently burning,
and some antique roses. The bride wore a simple white tea dress; the groom and his father wore jeans and matching western shirts. The minister wore a curious suit that was neither quite a Sunday go to meeting suit nor westernwear.
He was a handsome, earnest fellow. Although I am in the main hormonally impaired to assess male beauty, I do believe that if he hadn't been called to charismatic ministry, he might have carved out a career for himself in charismatic sin.

The wedding was simple and beautiful. No music, no homily about how it is better to marry than to burn, and no trains of people walking about in clothes they buy for just one use. I wish I could say the wedding clean-up was also simple,
but life is not quite *that* romantic.

After the wedding, my brother's fourteen year old son filled me in on all the latest adventures in his Dungeons and Dragons role playing game. I have a strong nodding acquaintance with the game,though I've not played in years,
so I appreciatively joined in with observations in response to his lectures about the differences between dragons with high hit point counts and transmogrified worms with the same hit point counts, the problems of trying to defend yourself by torching a forest when one of the pilgrims in your party is a druid mage (curiously, I run into similar problems sometimes in real life),and what happened to the pixie-thief in their party. The juxtaposition, sitting in a colonial home amid period antiques
listening to somewhat post-modern role playing fantasy game tales was almost lost on me, as I was lost in the moment

Comments

[laruth.livejournal.com]

Wow, it sounds like a beautiful setting. Any photos from the wedding?

photos not needed

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

well except perhaps of that preacher *smile*

your desriptions, as usual, are vivid and i will have to look up Camden on the map

[burninggirl.livejournal.com]

I was born in a little town named Camden.

I just like coincidences like that. : )

Cool!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I like that you were born in Camden. I'll have to pick up a postcard here and send it to you, as you clearly are a kindred spirit with this forest of tall pines and friendly people!

Re: Cool!

[burninggirl.livejournal.com]

I'd like that very much. I've always liked my birth town - only half an hour from where I grew up, but so very different, a country village rather than a satellite city. If you're interested, here's its website, including the history of the town (in the "student info" section - I can't link it directly for some reason), which is quite interesting.


By the way, I got your card the other day. What a nice surprise! I'm working on something to send you. : )

Re: Cool!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the card arrived. I'm really pleased that mail to Australia went so fast! I was also pleased to find your name on postcardx....can't remember how I hit upon doing an "Australians" search through their address search engine, but I'm glad you popped up on it. I'll pick up a Camden card and mail it to you!

Camden, Arkansas would look askance at Camden, NSW, because folks from my hometown would not know what to do with all those winery tours....it sounds like you came from a pretty cool place. You're like me--I identify Arkansas as my "childhood home" because I was raised there, just as you do Tasmania, though I was born in Texas, just as you were in Tasmania. But the contrast is more metaphoric in your case. You have the soul of the Tasmanian wilds, but deep down you still come from the NSW suburbs (grin).

Camden, Arkansas, by the way, was founded in the 1840s. History agrees that it was named after a city in the east, but history disagrees on whether that city was Camden, New Jersey or Camden, South Carolina....I had not heard of Camden, NSW until you sent me that comment.

you make me smile...

[geisa.livejournal.com]

"Although I am in the main hormonally impaired to assess male beauty, I do believe that if he hadn't been called to charismatic ministry, he might have carved out a career for himself in charismatic sin." i love that line!!!;)

yes, by all means, beware of the druid mage...the powers that they possess are great!

do you have todd rundgren-'a wizard, a true star'? just curious, that was always my favorite! i got the "super-duper digitally remastered import with liner notes" cd when it came out. i also got 'something/anything?' remastered. i think i will listen, again...thanks!!!;)

I saw the Light

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I love both a Wizard/A True Star, but for some reason "Can We Still be Friends" meant so much to me when that later album came out. Perhaps it was the sadness, the realization that all was pretense, but perhaps it was the way in which his voice was flat in all the ways mine was then!

Re: I saw the Light

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

that is, I love both W/TS and Something/Anything.