First on the list was a drive over to my bank in Stoughton. The last time I had made the drive the landscape was still a drab brown with only a few shoots of green piercing through monotony. On this morning everything was a brilliant green. Corn fields, meadows, and streams were the variety to the rolling landscape. It was a bit depressing to know I was missing all of this working, not able to enjoy the Wisconsin summer in all its wonder.
The remainder of the morning was spent on trivial items, such as spraying the weeds in my sidewalk, cleaning, and wrapping the wedding present. I dug through my closet and found my khakis and dress sweater. They hadn't been worn since my senior piano recital. Then it was 12:30 p.m., time to head out for German Valley.
German Valley is a small town southeast of Freeport. The Chicago Great Western once dissected the town, but today only a trace of the railroad remains. White homes with immaculate lawns line the streets and a few people were out doing yard work and giving me a wave despite the fact they probably didn't recognize the car. That's just the way it is in small towns.
The church is seated on a small rise on the south edge of town. Beyond it is nothing but corn and farms. Upon pulling into the parking lot the first person I saw was Don. It was great to see a familiar face. Inside the church were more familiar faces; Ryan, Sayre, Andy, Adam, Ian, Lance, Chris, Kathi, Nick, and Tony, all people I hadn't seen in well over a month and all talking about our favorite subject: trains. It was great to be home.
The wedding passed in a blink. Before anyone even realized it Mr. and Mrs. Aquaman stood before the church. Outside the front entrance was Tony's new red Challenger and behind it was Paul's Challenger of a 1970's vintage. After Matt and Jen were inside Tony's Challenger and Paul was in his, both burned out of the church parking lot, leaving us all to bake in the afternoon sun. Of course, there was always more train talk and Adam and myself discussed the goings on at CP Rail.
I was about to leave to meet up with a group at Culver's in Freeport when Matt sent me a text and said I needed to stick around for the "beer photo." This was something I hadn't heard of and leave it up to Aquaman to come up with it. A bunch of us met up at his grandpa's farm southeast of town and cans of Leinenkugel's Original were passed out. A photo of us toasting with cans of Leine's was a perfect addition to the day.
The reception was to be held at the Masonic Lodge in Freeport. I met up with a big part of the group at Culver's. None of us really had a good idea as to how to actually get to the reception. I was under the impression Kathi knew how to get there, so I followed her out with Ryan following me. After a scenic tour of Freeport I came to the conclusion Kathi probably didn't know where the hall was, so I set off on my own, Ryan still following, and luckily stumbled upon the massive building.
Inside was a large room painted in a light green color. With paint like that it should have looked ugly, but for whatever reason it seemed appropriate, so vintage, it perfectly matched the rest of the building. On one side was a stage where the DJ was set up, on the other a full bar, and round tables filled the divide. Along the longest wall was the head table, slightly elevated from the guest tables. I found my way to a place with Andy and his fiancee, Adam, Nick, and Nick's parents.
The reception was great. It was some of the most fun I've had in a long time. Munger Mark made for some great entertainment. Munger is hard to describe. Crazy may seem too extreme, exuberant not extreme enough. A fondness for beer fuels the party in this man and he was consuming plenty of fuel! At one point he came by our table with three glasses and explained they were all for a sick man at his table that was choking on an artichoke. Yes Munger, that was a believable story!
As the night unwound so did the guests. It seems like everyone was eventually out on the dance floor. All the standards were played, "The Twist," "Cha-Cha Slide," "Chicken Dance," along with a little Metallica and some polka music (this was a German wedding after all!). Munger seemed to be particularly enjoying dancing, often grabbing people and dragging them out to the floor.
The night was capped with "Bohemian Rhapsody." Those of us that remained joined in a circle on the floor to sing along. It was by far some of the most fun I've had in a long long time. But that was it, it was time to say goodbye to Matt and Jen, Ryan, Sayre, Chris, Don, and everyone else I hadn't seen in what seemed an eternity. Who knows when I will see them again.
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