Breakfast at our lovely inn is served family style. This morning there was another couple here. So we sat at a long table with strangers in that uncomfortable place where conversation is anticipated but no one quite knows where to begin. And no one has really had a cup of coffee yet either. LightHusband excels in those situations; I feel like a turtle who has lost her shell. But we all survived and got know one another over some of the most delicious baked french toast with blackberry compote you will eat this side of heaven. Oh … well … none of you, dear readers will get to eat it; you’ll have to imagine it.
We discovered that our fellow inn-mates were here in Estes Park to get married. It is a second marriage for both so they were keeping it small. Our inn keeper doubles as a justice of the peace, so he would do the honors. We wished them well as they left the breakfast table and each went on our way.
It so happened that they were out in the courtyard when we came back out to leave on our adventures for the day. We wished them well again and off we went in our “keen-vertible” (as the gate-keeper at Rocky Mountain National Park dubbed it). We only got about 50 feet down the road when I said to LightHusband, “Do you suppose they have a photographer for their wedding?” He said, “You know, I was just thinking the same thing.” So we turned around, went back and asked if they’d like a few photos of their wedding. Um … why … certainly. Beaming, grinning from ear to ear. So we arranged to meet them and went on our way (to a quilt shop … hehehehe … I must get my quilting in). Across the road from the quilt shop some elk came to mow the neighborhood lawns.
We arrived back at the inn at the appointed time to find the groom looking anticipatory and somewhat taxed with the weight of expectation. The participants gathered and we all found our way to Lily Lake, which is a beautiful spot at the foot of Longs Peak. It is also part of the Rocky Mountain National Park. LightHusband took some wonderful photos and we both were witness to a beautiful ceremony that had more depth and heart than many large church weddings we’ve been to. Mr. InnKeeper is a deep well and has put together some profoundly moving thoughts about marriage and life that I was privileged to hear this morning. Both LightHusband and I were honored in some deep part of our souls that this couple opened up their sacred space and shared it with us. It made our time here very special.
The rest of the afternoon was spent dwawdling around in Estes Park and the RMNP. This evening we had a special quiet candle lit dinner for two … just us two in the dining room here at the inn. It was delicious. Every moment of it was delicious. The best part was coming out and discovering a sunset straight from heaven. See:
