22 years ago today.....

John Schmidt

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Posts: 15202

a/k/a Stuffy. '99 I/S Valk Roadsmith Trike

De Pere, WI (Green Bay)

22 years ago today.....

« on: July 05, 2016, 08:35:32 AM »

I married the love of my life, allow me to reminisce a bit. We literally bumped into each other at a "Divorce Recovery" outreach program of the big First Presbyterian church downtown Orlando. I thought she was "kinda" pretty but at the time I was still stinging from the first wife's antics. After 31 yrs. she felt someone ten yrs. her junior was more to her liking and was gone. They never married which means nothing to me except...."told ya so."

Rita and I dated for 4 1/2 yrs., no living together and we found ways around it when we would travel together. Some amusing stories resulted from that. At the end of our 4th year dating, she told me she didn't want to go another year without something more permanent taking place....i.e., crap or get off the pot. To this day she claims she doesn't remember saying that, called selective memory. Wink

Late Spring 1994, we were planning a long trip out west and up into Canada, using bus tour brochures to help determine good hotels and sights along the way. We never used bus tours, just their brochures for information....good suggestion for you guys. While we're going over this info I suggested it would make a good honeymoon....to which she promptly dropped everything in her hands. Since it was taken as a proposal I was FORCED into doing it real proper like. Since I was still working she did all the calling and making various reservations.

We flew into Kalispell, MT and picked up our rented SUV with 4-wheel drive....something that later turned out to be a good choice in the mountains. Next day we drove through Glacier Nat'l. Park on the Highway To The Sun(whatever it's called), beautiful country but so rugged. Some of the road didn't have any guard rails on the open side and Rita spent a good portion almost in my lap and not looking down. The end of the second day we stayed in East Glacier at a big rugged hotel built by the railroad company many years ago for their employees. On July 4th, we went back into the Park and found a place called Indian Falls, locally referred to as Trick Falls. We trudged back into the forest about 1/2 mile and voila....there it was. The trail opened up into this beautiful vista with the falls in the distance. We decided this is where we want to get married. Next day, July 5th, we drove to Cutbank, MT for our license, about 50 miles away. On our return I realized Rita didn't have a bridal bouquet and soon as I spotted a forest meadow covered with wildflowers I stopped, got out my trusty pocket knife and commenced to make her a "natural" bouquet. So now she's crying, saying how beautiful they were. We called the person that was going to conduct the ceremony, a Blackfoot Tribal Judge from the local tribe, Rita had made arrangements with her prior to leaving Florida. The Tribal Judges have as much power, if not more, than a regular Circuit Judge. She showed up with her husband and daughter as witnesses, and we all headed out to "our waterfalls." She was happy to do it for us, said many visitors call her to do this but was the first time at Trick Falls. She used the Blackfoot ceremony, a very moving reading, not a conventional religious ceremony but very spiritual in nature.....surrounded by nature's beauty. The next day we headed up into Canada, to Waterton and the beautiful Prince of Wales hotel sitting on top of a bluff. A couple days there, going back into the wilderness on foot, watching a busy beaver then trudging up a steep trail for a mile or so to another hidden waterfall. When we came back down a couple hours later a ranger asked if we had seen any wildlife, a mama bear and her young had been spotted in the area of that trail just a few hours prior. We knew nothing about it but glad we hadn't crossed paths. After Waterton we headed north to Banff for a couple days where Rita swiped a large sprig of Lilacs from a gov't. bush and stuck it under her blouse. We were a mile away from there and I could still smell Lilacs so she raised her blouse and showed me. I knew I had an interesting life ahead of me. The next stop was Lake Louise just north of Banff, more hiking through various trails then after a couple days there we headed north to Jasper. After a few days in a rustic hotel in Jasper we headed south, throughout we bypassed Calgary due to traffic and their big rodeo going on at the time. Further south we crossed over to the west side of the Rockies and drove back to Kalispell. It was a three week long trip filled with more memories and events than I could possibly write here. So, tonight we're simply going out to dinner, feeling blessed for the years we've had together and hoping for many more as God allows.

Thanks for letting me share, some day when you're visiting us I'll show you some of the 22 rolls of film I shot. Always good for a good nap about halfway through! Grin


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Lake Placid , Fl.