That special touch

I didn't want to arrive too early, so I drove around a neighboring subdivision at Lake Pend Oreille's south shore just east of the Long Bridge. As I turned on to a short road headed west, a helmeted biker pulled on to the road at the same time and came my way. His expression of looking straight at me hinted that he wanted to ask me something, so I stopped and rolled down the window.

"Do you know if there's a wedding around here somewhere?" he asked.

"Ya know, I was thinking of riding my bike too," I said. "It should be just up around this corner. Follow me."

Sure enough, as I turned the corner, I could see that I was not at all too early. The lawn parking lot was already nearly full. Apparently, a lot of guests had decided to arrive early for Toby and Jyl's outdoor wedding yesterday at Birch Banks. As the handsome young parking attendant directed me where to go, I saw half a dozen other bikes parked near the honeybuckets and wished I'd ridden my own. But it would have been difficult carrying that gift for six miles, I reasoned.

Toby and Jyl's ceremony and reception were beautiful, especially with the hail of ticklish cotton puffs seemingly floating down from the heavens. And, yes, appropriately in honor of Toby's business interests, one ceremony participant even rolled down the aisle on a custom-mountain bike to do his reading. David Crockett, the very man who'd rebuilt my Schwinn, read after Pierre (Toby's stepfather) and Mimi (Toby's sister).

And, in keeping with Jyl's Kootenai heritage, she wore tribal moccasins, and her father, using a feather, spread a special blessing of incense throughout the bridal party and guests. Fr. Connolly of DeSmet announced he'd baptized Jyl when she was two at a powwow in Spokane. So, yesterday he stood before God, many adoring family and guests, and, with his very warm, personal touch, blessed her marriage to Toby.

As the groomsmen walked in and lined up, I told Connie Scherr I'd taught four of them. Found out later I was wrong on that count. Later, when one of the groomsmen stood up for the toast/roast, I observed some familiar facial expressions. He'd lost a little hair and put on some pounds since high school, and I hadn't recognized him earlier. So, five of the seven young men had been my students.

Besides the fine outdoor cuisine, with chicken and sausages expertly prepared by Chef Jeremy, the event offered me a delightful smorgasboard of enjoyable visits with former students. In fact, I'd estimate that I taught between half to two thirds of the guests.

I learned about adventures in Russia from Debbie Fields who had graduated in 1984 with an education degree and is now a massage therapist. Former students, Cassie Tauber and her husband Tim Romas (holding their two-month-old son), told me of their efforts to preserve and continue working her parents' Angus farm on Gold Creek Road.

Mike Kirkpatrick, an outdoors freak and one of Willie's 1995 classmates who's come back from a few years of wind surfing the Columbia at Hood River, told me where the cheap land might be for young people who still want to live in this area. He's rebuilding old houses with Andy Feuling, Toby's younger brother and selling green tea to stores around the area. Ian Bordenave is home from Hawaii for a while but doesn't quite know what he's going to do next with his environmental research degree.

Darcy Leake has been on all sorts of adventures, including some years of building trails for the Forest Service since graduating in 1993. She's planning to finish her degree at the U of Oregon. I saw most of the six Huguenin children, who all seem very happy. Also, saw Holly Walker's (Class of 1991) darling little girl for the first time. In fact, I visited with so many former students yesterday that I came home with a hoarse voice.

Yes, it was a great wedding for many reasons. And, I wish Toby and his lovely bride much happiness as they begin this new segment of their lives.

I think I may even go for a bike ride in their honor today.