Bermuda...the innocence continues

In the previous post, I asked Keri to do a eye-witness report from the wedding as she was, afterall, one of the witnesses to that crime against nature (oops, sorry, thought I was a Republican there for a minute).

Many years ago when I lived in New York, I went to Bermuda on a $199 get-away excursion fare and have lorded my good luck over Joe for decades now...I'd seen one tiny little section of the world that he hadn't seen.

Since it was illegal to get married where we live and we were going to be on the East Coast anyway, Bermuda seemed like the BEST place for the post-wedding vacation (after 30 years "honeymoon" is as ridiculous to say after the wedding as "boyfriend" was before).

We found a GREAT!!! little house called Bird's Nest that we booked and called home for the stay.

It was the PERFECT place for us, as it turned out, though it was further away from Hamilton then I originally thought.

In the scheme of normal life this wouldn't matter. But unbeknownst to us, we were a couple of weeks away from getting the world's WORST wedding present (we NEVER should have registered at California Pacific Medical Center, what were we thinking?), so when I made Joe walk from the house to Hamilton to "experience" Bermuda on foot, I didn't know at the time that I was sorta killing him. (He was a good sport despite his inability to breathe and I regret my "suck it up old man" attitude in light of subsequent events.)

Hamilton was great and worth the walk...

...but I didn't make him walk there again. Or anywhere. He was a good sport, but did I mention he was cranky?

The beauty of the transportation pass that we bought was that it was good for buses AND ferries, so we were able to see just about all of Bermuda from land and sea for a nominal fee. AND feel like Bermudians (without the oddly colored shorts).

Lucky, lucky memory.

http://www.bermudagetaway.com/indexBN.html

Before the Deluge

21st Century weddings are truly where it's at.

Keri, here. I' m Thompson's sister and now sister-in-law to Joe, who I have considered a brother for the better portion of my life.

Sometime earlier in the year, Thom told me that he and Joe were going to "tie the knot" on their 30-year relationship.  If California would overturn their then-current ban on marriage, then they would do it there; otherwise it was to be held in Connecticut, what my partner, Justin, and I have coined as "The Las Vegas for Gays."

Justin and I live only about 150 miles east of Norwalk, CT, where our best men would be taking their vows, so we rented a car and headed west. With all the class and candor of our stylish hosts, we found ourselves in one of the most charming New England towns on a beautiful, sunny, early June day.

Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk is situated near the New York border on an estuary that leaches into the Long Island Sound from the Norwalk River.  The landscape of an estuary is always unique as it is a combination of salt and fresh waters, usually providing large thickets of sea grass, clams, small amphibians and fish that are well-adapted to this half-saline coastline.

Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and ocean environments and are subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of fresh water and sediment. The inflow of both seawater and freshwater provide high levels of nutrients in both the water column and sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world.

It was a perfect place to celebrate the union of any relationship, but certainly for Thom & Joe. Their relationship practically is an estuary. It is both fresh and salty. The creatures that inhabit such an environment are proven robust. The environment requires it.

Like the normal flow of river and the normal ebb of ocean, the two bodies meet somewhere halfway, creating its own composition. This is the encapsulating idea that shadowed our stay with Thom & Joe that early June.

On Sunday, June 5, 2011, Justin & I witnessed a commitment made by two people we love deeply. At exactly noon, as our bridegrooms exchanged vows, the church bells rang softly -- yet sternly -- behind them, as if a confirmation, emphasizing the faith and dedication required of a marriage to that of the most sacred and intimate spaces.

The occasion, though incomparably small, was truly festive. When Thom asked me if I wanted to say anything at the wedding, I replied, "to whom?" I mean, we were the only ones at the wedding, and Justin doesn't hear very well. Both Thom and Joe know how much we love and support them. If ever a girl like me could be absent of words, for some reason it was that day. It just didn't seem that words could truly express a sentiment this lovely. 

(Left to Right) Keri, Joe, Thompson and Justin

Justin & I were truly grateful to have spent those days with Thom & Joe at Norwalk; not just for the wedding itself, but for all the days before it: the feasting, the swimming, the bike rides with beer in our baskets, the sarcasm and wit that we all four banter, the warm nights and warm souls by poolside.

What fortunes we hold.

A funny thing happened on the way to Bermuda...

As several of you know, Thom and I recently spent a week in Bermuda – it was a great get-away!


What none of you know is that on the way we stopped in Connecticut for a few days and shared a beach house with Thom’s sister Keri and her boyfriend Justin – We love time with them, but they were there primarily to join us at noon on Sunday, June 5 to witness a very short and simple ceremony where Thom and I were married in not so holy matrimony – This year marks several milestones for Thom and I, the most significant of which was being together 30 years on June 5.


We had hoped for a simple 'just the two of us and a Justice of the Peace' thing in California, but the Golden State is still dithering on the marriage act, so we opted for Connecticut instead – Please do not feel left out, we wanted it short, sweet and simple, but do join in the celebration of our wedded bliss (ugh) and we can do some toasting and cake when we are in NYC in August.


Cheers! Thom and Joe