Teri and Ryan's wedding in the desert southwest!

 

I was supposed to officiate my niece Teri and her fiancé Ryan's wedding on our farm, but then COVID-19 happened. They postponed their celebration at the farm until 2021, but wanted to go ahead and get married this summer. Tom and I hopped in the car in late August and ventured west!

Because my mom has never been to Iowa, we  stopped in Davenport, IA to take a picture with Bix Beiderbecke, a jazz coronet player born in 1903 who was noted for his pure, clear tone. Just Google "Davenport Blues" or "Royal Garden Blues" and you'll see what I mean! Mom and Dad love his recordings!

Marta was ready and waiting for us in Kearney, Nebraska, complete with homemade pizza and other goodies. Nothing like watching the sun set on the great plains from her deck.

We drove through Greeley to check out JBS, a leading beef, pork and poultry producer in the U.S. We then stretched our legs on the University of Northern Colorado's campus before scooting over to Ft. Collins for lunch.

Dan and Alison in Boulder. Dan is an engineer with a private firm and Alison just began her new job with NIST & NOAA as a space weather scientist. You can see several baseball gifts my parents have given Dan in the picture, too.

Dan took us up Green Mountain, near the Boulder Flatirons. He also took us disc golfing at Arapahoe Basin at 11,000+ feet (see next picture).

These hikes were beautiful and exhausting to Tom and me. Dan scampered along the trails like a mountain goat.

Then it was on to Tucson, AZ for Teri and Ryan's wedding. We drove secondary roads as much as possible through New Mexico. At our hotel on the Santa Fe plaza we learned on the 10 pm news that folks from IL were banned from the state due to COVID-19...oh dear. 

My brother Tom and I took a bike ride on the Santa Cruz River Trail in Tucson the morning of Teri and Ryan's wedding. Let's just say it gets really hot really quickly in Tucson in late summer! 

Off to the wedding!

Ryan constructed the wooden arch for their wedding. It was 110 degrees outside. What a beautiful couple in a beautiful setting! 

Maid of honor, sister Kelly and beau Thomas.

I got to officiate their wedding! 

It was great to hang out with Tom and Carol!  

Here is brother Tom on his birthday in Florida!