David and I spent Saturday morning and part of the afternoon sitting around Danae's apartment. Craig had left early with plans on buying a new car...scratch that...a new toy car...and he did, when he returned from the dealership and credit union he had come back to the apartment in a yellow and black Mini Cooper. Yes the lean 6'3 sailor Craig had went out and bought a Mini Cooper. Upon his return the bulky 6'1 David and I (average sized 5'8) were given a tour of the Pensacola area chauffeured around in this wind up toy of a car. David squeezed in up front and I climbed in the rear glove box also called the back seat...I had to lay down because both David and Craig had to move their seats all the way back to fit in this clown car...but Craig was happy with it and no matter how bad the verbal attacks on his man hood were (and will be) he was content with his purchase and after all it was his wedding day (take 2).
We at a late lunch at Flownder's, 18cent clam chowder that was very good! A quick walk on the beach and then back to the apartment to get ready for the wedding...I considered dressing up in a tails tux with a top hat that I brought, but this being 2011 and not 1911 I passed on that...I looked like a turn of the century New York City horse drawn buggy driver.
The weather was getting bad...Mobile, AL was in a tornado warning...by 5pm, the time of the wedding, the wind was blowing hard and it was drizzling rain on and off. This would mark my 18th wedding, the 14th of which I would play some part in...what that part was I had no idea...things like this happen when there is less than 72 hours of planning involved. As it turned out David and I (the only 2 from Texas who made the trip) were grooms men, ring bearers, and photographers. As soon as the ceremony started a monsoon hit. Standing out in the elements made for some great pictures and the fastest ceremony I have ever seen in my career as a wedding attender. So fast in fact that the wedding party, made up of the Bride, Groom, David, myself, about 20 sailors dressed in their navy dress blues, and about 6 bystanders, had to run to the covered porch of the lighthouse near by and do it all over again to make sure it was legally done right (no one could hear the woman presiding over the wedding because of the hurricane force winds). There a calmer and dryer redo was completed on the side of the lighthouse. Everyone crammed in together like rain soaked sardines. Now it was all official! May I present to you Mr. & Mrs. Craig Lay (in the rain)!
We all went back to the apartment changed and went out to McGuire's Irish Pub for the reception dinner and drinks celebrating this new union...this is where we encountered Freddie Mercury!
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