heat wave hello

Ahhh.  For the next week or so I've traded the Arctic weather of the San Franciscan summer for the ridiculously hot and humid summer of Nashville.

We had a cold front come through today, so it was down to 95.  Nice.  So far it hasn't been too bad, but that wedding was pretty hot.  In more ways than one.& I think my cousins showed up Chelsea Clinton.

I landed Friday night in time to see the gay/community social set at the Wanderlust fundraiser for the Brooks Fund and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee at the Lane Motor Museum. Keith has all sorts of great photos, and his Flickr set is here.

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A pleasant surprise was running into the fun couple I met last year at this same benefit. Robin and Joe picked Nashville to be their home when they left New Orleans, and one thing they wanted was a city with a vibrant gay community. While that last photo above is a photo of Joe and Robin, that Joe is not her husband Joe. I clearly remember meeting Robin and Joe last year, and Robin was hell bent on partying with us afterward, but peaked a bit too soon and could make it. This year, Robin, Joe and their friends joined us for after fun at Tribe, where I was happy to run into Billy and Jennifer Frist. Their babysitter offered to take all the kids of a birthday party sleepover and Jennifer and Billy jumped at the chance for date night. And I love that they are the fun sort who end up at Tribe.

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I love that I had only been back a couple of hours and already managed to check in with 40 to 50 good friends. And I'm very happy with the picture quality of the new iPhone 4.

My first night turned out to be a long one, as Keith, Robin, Joe and I decided to close down Play, and then have a late late supper at The Hermitage Cafe and didn't get home until 4:00-ish. Lordy, their biscuits and gravy are good. Never good for you, but I consider the Hermitage a special occasion.

Saturday was a cousin's wedding, and I was feeling mighty old with these 23-year-olds running around. And I must admit with this crowd of groomsmen I was feeling a little like a dirty old man, until I realized my straight counterparts were a thousand times worse regarding the ridiculously hot young women in ridiculously short dresses.

It was a beautiful service, and amazing reception occupying the entire BMCC and two tents. Jimmy ordered 40 thousand pounds more of A/C (I don't understand that unit of measurement but that's was I heard) and it was worth it. The event took me back to my early years when we all traveled for those lush and lavish southern weddings of my generation. And it was joyful to see a new generation continuing the tradition and enjoying it so thoroughly, opulent though it may be. I love my extended family and it was a blast partying with them all again. No one needed babysitters anymore as all the kids were old enough to attend or participate in this one. (Hell, "Little David," who I have not seen since he was six or so, is now a good head taller than I am.) Here I am with cousins Biz and Kathleen (yes, we are that southern) and then a photo of some of their kids. Unbelievable.

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My mother, who someone noted no longer ages, was in heaven. All her children were there, all her extended family, and her sons were ready for dancing.

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Other Scenes from a Southern Wedding:

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But I particularly love some of these shots of Mac and Emily dancing:
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Y'all see why I love coming home...

One last thing—a very nice touch.  Hostess gifts for the guests were, appropriately enough, wedding cookies.  The special thing is that they were presented in miniature reproductions of the old H.G. Hill Grocery Stores bags, our family business (and I suppose the source of funding for this affair).