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Oysterponds

Weddings are always special, and a very memorable one took place June 12 at Orient Methodist Church. Aubrey Roberts, former Navy Street summer kid Aubrey Roberts, who grew up in the Richards farmhouse owned by her parents, Charissa and Steven, dreamed of returning to her favorite place on earth to marry her groom, Stanton Elseroad. The bride’s grandfather, the Rev. Clyde Mellinger of Village Lane, pastor emeritus of the Presbyterian church in Webster, N.Y., and the groom’s father, the Rev. Richard Elseroad, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church of Knoxville. Tenn., performed the ceremony. There was so much history here: The bride’s ancestors were entrenched in Orient for well over a century. Grandmother Roxanna worshipped at that same church and performed in plays at Poquatuck Hall as a child. Poquatuck Hall was transformed into an enchanted setting for this destination/historic wedding. Aubrey and Stanton met at Vanderbilt University and many of the friends they made there traveled north for the occasion and discovered what we already know, what a magical place Oysterponds is. Congratulations all around.

Speaking of weddings there was lots of exciting news from Robert and Marge Reeves’ residence this week. Granddaughter and former Orienteer Keri Reeves, daughter of Tom and Cheri, tied the knot with fiancà Dominic Fiedler on Friday in Georgia. In attendance were brother Jim and his fiancà , Crystal Johnson. The newlyweds drove to Florida to rendezvous with Keri’s parents and friends in Jacksonville, where they had an early birthday celebration for the newly promoted Army Sgt. Reeves. (Congrats!) That’s not be confused with the recently promoted Naval pilot and brother Lt. James Reeves, who returned from a war zone last month and will be stationed in Jacksonville. (WTG, Jimmy!) The reason for all this rush is that, by the time you read this, Keri will once again be deployed, as my dad would have said, “overseas.” We ask for God’s blessings for their marriage and for her safety as she travels to Iraq to defend her country.

Speaking of military champions, it seems all of our prayers worked, since USAF Major, soon to be Colonel, Lisa Costello Woffinden (daughter of Marie Pemberton Haeg and granddaughter of Jessie and Hector Pemberton) is thankfully back on U.S. soil after a six-month rotation in Afghanistan.

I always thought when I saw or heard of a dead osprey in the road that it was there because it had been diving for a fish that slipped out of its grip. Ritchie Latham informed me that osprey will never retrieve a fish off the road and that they only scoop them out of the water. You learn something every day.

Here’s a fun visualize this. At the peak of heat last week I was driving around thinking that there was a new definition to hot flash until I realized I had mistakenly triggered the heated seat switch. I was chuckling all the way home, thankful that I wasn’t running a fever.

My Greenport column colleague, who specializes in birthdays, will be, as she puts it, blowing out her candles today. Enjoy, Joan.