a busy weekend on the town

guys, i know, i haven't been as productive as i ought to be in terms of updates, but as i said to my dad today: the blog is about the trip; the trip isn't about the blog. so you'll have to take what you get as it comes. once you get to the end of this one, you'll see why there were no spare moments to post!

a weekend in vancouvertown

disclaimer: this is a long one, as it was a long weekend - in more ways than one!

what bliss it was to be fancy free in the big city, hands-free!

aaron and i did our best to take advantage of our time without the kids. saturday morning we woke up late(r than usual, but not that late), enjoyed a slow, quiet breakfast (nobody to complain that they don't like oats!), then started to take a look at solving the thwack in the mast. aaron had an idea to slip a coupe balloons inside some pre-existing holes in the mast and fill them with spray foam insulation, pushing the wires off to one side and pinning them there.

it was a good idea, except the insulation he brought was quite old and the nozzle immediately snapped off as soon as the project began. but hey, we were in the big city! all the things in the world were all around us. we hopped in tubs, zipped under the cambie street bridge to the dinghy dock there, and walked a couple blocks to canadian tire. it was fun to walk up and over some of the bridge, to look down and see rafiki at her moorage, dwarfed by the incredible architecture of modern cvilization.

having found what we needed, we did the reverse journey back and started on the mast. aaron's idea worked, though it was a mite messier than he envisioned. but in the end there were no new permanent synthetic additions to the deck, and the thwacking seemed to have been at least partly muted - huzzah!

gotta squoosh the squooshies in

i was on a personal quest to find a haircut and a shower, so aaron dropped me at the ferry dock and i hopped a ride (an expensive ride, holy! but hey, city living) down to the aquatic centre. i walked up to davie street and tried a couple salons, but of course nobody could do anything for me on five minutes notice. so instead i grabbed a bagful of fresh food and headed to my grandma's for a shower.

i met my dad back down at the ferry and we took a one-stop ride over to granville island. i had invited a few friends for an afternoon cruise, so we loaded up on some snackies, and as a last minute decision i grabbed some fresh-made pasta for dinner. back on the ferry and back down to the stop near rafiki, we met up with our friend kamiya from quadra! it was so nice to see her beautiful familiar face among so many strangers.

kamiya was the only one who was able to make it, so we had a lovely cruise just the four of us. rafiki slithered back out under all the bridges and into the bay. the wind was perfect for an evening cruise, enough to raise sails and ride around without heeling uncomfortably far over. we had a delightful snack platter and many cups of tea as we crept close to the freighters and rolled our eyes at drunken party-boaters.

back down false creek to our anchorage, we dropped dad at the dock, then set ourselves up for a lovely dinner. it was a good thing kamiya was on board because i bought a lot of pasta! the ravioli were stunning, striped with green, purple, and yellow, to match the contents within: spinach, mushrooms, squash, walnuts and chevre, oh my! served with some thinly sliced asparagus and a hefty salad, it was a meal to remember.

then i fandangled kamiya into cutting my hair. it was nearly a disaster, but she persisted (thank heavens!!!!!!) and in the end the cut was clean. the cockpit was not, but i hoped the wind would blow away most of the remaining fuzz…..

i escorted kamiya back to shore in tubs; the first dinghy dock we went to looked gated, so we went to the one we knew. after a sweet farewell, i turned back toward rafiki - and saw a huge meteor streak through the sky! i marveled over timing, making decisions and the randomness of being in a place at a time, and how it all leads to moments of magic you could never plan. this is the life!

sunday was The Big Day, the reason we had sailed down to vancouver: my cousins weddings! the first wedding said to arrive at 9:30 am, so we dragged ourselves out of bed to squeak in a quick breakfast and make ourselves presentable (i was a big groggy from staying up till midnight knitting the last rows of my sock, a crucial part of my evening outfit). though the first wedding wasn't as formal, we scrubbed up and went ashore to meet up with my dad and grandma, me grumbling about it being too early for high heels.

the first wedding was held at the akali singh sikh temple on cassiar street - the one with the big radiant-gold tops you can see from the highway (as a kid passing by, i always called them "onion tops"). it was the most beautiful affair. many of the women were dressed in colourful, sparkling saris that made my jaw drop. the colours were so rich, and the style is so charming and celebratory in and of itself. most of the men wore suits, but the some of the groomsmen wore traditional garb and looked splendid. everyone had to cover their heads, so the men had kerchiefs (from the temple) to tie around their heads and most of the women had shawls.

then for my dear cousin, chris. as the groom, he was dressed to the nines and looked like an actual prince. adorned from his head to his toes in blue and gold, he was radiant. on his feet

he had golden upturned shoes, met neatly by fitted royal blue pants. a long coat worked with a gold-on-blue pattern hung to his knees, and on his head a dark blue turban was perfectly wrapped. a wide, deep blue velvet scarf, edged with gold, sat around his shoulders. to cap it off, he carried a golden sword with a lions head on the handle. and his demeanour was just as shiny: chris looked straight from a fairy tale, ready to ride away to happily ever after with his bride.

after much milling and gawking at everyone's beautiful attire, we stood in a semi-circle outside for a standing prayer, led by the granthi in his bare feet. i may not have this all correct, but i believe permission was asked of god to begin the ceremonies, and garlands were exchanged between the families. apparently this is always done standing, prior to entering the temple.

then we were invited in for breakfast. this was a surprise! i knew there would be lunch, but breakfast was a bonus. the lower floor of the temple was much like a community hall, with a large kitchen off to one side and tables all along the other. there was a buffet, though the groom's family table was set and served (we had the honour of sitting there).

the food was amazing. most of it was deep-fried (think spring roll-type things and pakora), served with delicious sauces, and i think it was all vegetarian. there was juice and sweets to go with - which i found to be a charming breakfast addition.

then it was time for the ceremony. we were led upstairs to an anteroom to remove our shoes - if you had to touch your shoes to remove them, you had to wash your hands after. then we entered the temple, with the women sitting on the left and the men on the right. the floor, a deep red, velvety carpet, was divided down the middle by a long blue runner that ended at the shrine.

the shrine itself was elegant and colourful. it sat under a high, domed ceiling, with the granthi seated inside behind the holy text. everyone approached the shrine, made a donation, and bowed - apparently to the holy book, not the granthi himself. i heard someone explain at the door that if you couldn't sit cross-legged, then to please point your feet elsewhere as it was considered disrespectful to point your feet toward the book. musicians to the right of the shrine played soothing music; the continual hum on harmoniums and the gentle tapping of drums made the atmosphere warm and easy.

mid-way through the seating, chris took his seat at the front. someone had laid a white cloth before the shrine, and he sat on the right side of it. he was outwardly calm and reverent, with his head down and his hands in a prayer position, as the guests continued to make their benefactions.

once everyone was seated, the bride entered. we hadn't seen a glimpse of her yet, but it was well worth the wait. ashley looked absolutely resplendent in her rose-pink and gold sari, with long ornaments hanging from her hands and a golden circle resting in the centre of her forehead. her dark, gorgeous hair contrasted beautifully with the light colour of her robes, and her hands were worked with ornate mendhi, completing the traditional look. she was stunning. she seated herself beside chris. both were very serious and hardly looked at the other; they each sat solemnly until the ceremony began.

the ceremony took about an hour. one of ashley's uncles gave an explanation for those of us unfamiliar with sikh tradition, which was very helpful. a blessing was asked to wed the two, and a ceremony held in which the father of the bride passed one end of the scarf around the groom's shoulders to the bride to hold. then commenced a series of marriage hymns, called lavans. the guru granth sahib (his full title) read the hymn, then the musicians would sing it. while they sung, the bride, holding her end of the scarf, followed the groom slowly around the shrine. ashley had her brothers and uncles there to support her as she walked around, passing from their hands until the couple came back around to the white cloth.

snapshots of my perspective - photographically not the best, but they relay the story

when the lavans were completed, everyone stood for a prayer to conclude the marriage ceremony. after we were seated once again, attendents came around to distribute karah prasad, a pudding-type of mix. a blob was dropped into our outstretched hands; it tasted something like marzipan, but softer, and warm.

the final part of the ceremony included a gift of money to the couple. they sat with the scarf spread across their laps, and family and guests would come up behind them and place money in each of their laps. denominations ranged from large to small, and all were received with gratitude and smiles. the whole thing was so lovely and i felt honoured to be a part of it.

the beautiful couple <3

after the ceremony, we found our shoes and went back down for a delicious lunch. for anyone who loves indian food, you would have been jealous. there was flavoured rice, and all of the saucy dishes you could imagine. a buttermilk sauce was included to tone down the spicy factor, and warm, stretchy flatbread to soak up the last bites. there was fruit too, but i spent all my tummy room on the yummy things i can't make at home!

a few photo ops later and we zipped back to the west end to turn our outfits around. once we got all fancied up, we headed over to richmond for the second wedding at the ubc boathouse on the fraser river.

the ceremony was held on the concrete float, literally inches off the surface of the river. rows of chairs faced a hexagonal altar, backed by the river, the grassy bank on the other side, and mountains in the distance. the weather this weekend was perfect - bright and sunny all morning, and a slight veil of clouds to tone down the afternoon.

once everyone was seated, chris and his mother (my lovely aunt sandra) walked down the isle, hugged, then chris stood to wait at the altar. then his groomsmen followed, then the bridesmaids, and finally the bride. once again, ashley looked picturesque. she wore a long, flowing gown with lacey full-length sleeves, and a ribbon laced up the back. walking in on her father's arm looking so stunning was just about enough to bring one to tears! i'm not typically much of a crier, but the amount of love and happiness just gushing from everyone was almost overwhelming.

everything was perfect. all the words spoken were well thought out and touching. everyone looked regal, and happy. the couple had everyone's support and well-wishes, and their love and respect for one another was palpable.

little glimpses of the big event

i know, i'm going on and on, but it was a fantastic affair and i felt so fortunate to be a part of it. after the ceremony on the dock, we were invited upstairs for appetizers - more indian food! score! they had these little crackers that i went back for an ample second helping of, i must admit. and the barkeeps on the balcony were pouring generous beverages, so that was a perk.

then on to speeches: again, more genuine, heartfelt messages of love and support that had me on the verge of tears several times! (maybe i am a crier?) speeches were followed by dinner (more indian food; actually the best day of my life) and an epic slideshow, and then it turned to a party. aaron and i found the music a bit loud, so we hung out on the balcony and chatted with family and new friends (we must be getting old, erk!). we called it quits near midnight and cabbed back downtown with my dad and grandma. aaron and i walked back to our dinghy in our fancy wear, climbed on in, and rowed away to rafiki. what an absolutely enchanting day!