Jax Stumpes: Ryan and Maddy's Wedding Weekend (10/11-13/2013)

Friday, October 11, 2013
The Wedding Invitation:

A camping wedding!
We arrived at San Francisco airport, took the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train over to the end of the Blue Line in Dublin/Pleasanton. The father of the groom, Mike, picked us up for the ride into the hills above the vineyards near Livermore, CA, to Camp Arroyo.
The camp is a state-of-the-art green facility which is home to the YMCA Outdoor Environmental Education programs and the Taylor Foundation camps for children with special needs.
The six duplex cabins are built up a hillside:

Our cabin was renamed "Stump-Town:"

Each cabin has six double bunk beds:

And a bathroom with shower and flush toilet:

And two sinks:

Down below is the Dining Hall, built with sustainable and recycled materials:

And below the Dining Hall is the swimming pool:

Rehearsal dinner included pulled pork from the MerLott raised pig named 'Sean Connery,' macaroni and cheese, and salad, as well as roasted potatoes:

The centerpieces contained Solanum integrifolium/Ornamental Eggplant:

After dinner there was a campfire and s'mores:

Mike, Kent, Erich, Lance, and Ryan

Unfortunately Kyle fell victim to USAirways not being able to maintain its schedule due to weather, and they could not re-route him to arrive in time for the wedding.
Brynne arrived late, after the Talent Show.

Saturday, October 12, 2013
After a breakfast of fruit and pastries, it was set-up and free time.
We went to check out the sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places (designated with an *) for the town of Livermore, CA.
But first, we passed the Wente vineyards:

The *Ravenswood Historic Site at 2647 Arroyo Road is not open very often:

A driveway of old trees:

Ravenswood has a cottage built in 1885 and the main house built in 1891:

In town, the former *Carnegie Library at 2155 Third Street, built in 1911:

The former Town Hall, Jail and Firehouse at 2365 First Street:

The firehouse on the left was built by the WPA in 1937, and the town hall building in 1875.
The mural on the side of the former firehouse:

A new Livermore Cinemas at 2490 First Street was built in 2006:

We backtracked to First Street at Livermore Avenue for the *Bank of Italy, built in 1921:

Diagonally across the intersection is the Livermore Flagpole, established in 1905 and moved in 1959:

Another view of the Schenone Building, built in 1914:

The Masonic Building, built in 1909:

Walking farther on First Street, many restaurants had outdoor seating on the street:

Baughman's, established in 1881:

The Donut Wheel established in 1959 in a building from 1941:

Lizzie Park Fountain, established in 1976, reconstructed in 2010:

Interesting architectural detail on a building at 2324 Second Street:

The Livermore Post Office at 220 Livermore Avenue, maybe built in 1914:

The *D. J. Murphy House at 291 McLeod Street:

Built in the 1880s in Victorian Italianate style.
Another interesting house on McLeod Street:

The Pico-Bernal House at the *Hagemann Ranch Historic District:

Built in 1836, it is the oldest house in Livermore. The ranch is located at 455 Olivina Street and is private:

We returned to Camp Arroyo for lunch of cold cuts and cheese for sandwiches, hummus, tuna salad, pasta salad, and a chocolate cookie:

Erich, Brynne, and Kent

We ran into Ryan with his appropriate T-shirt:

Before the wedding, we waited at the "Stumpe Circle" for a photo op:

It was time to march down the hill to the Meadow for the wedding:

Vases of yellow flowers marked the way:

Here we picked up the program and wedding favors:

The Program:

There were buttons to identify yourself as either friend or family of Maddy or Ryan.

The Meadow was decorated with props:

Tic tac toe game pieces

The ceremony took place under the big tree:

Stage flower arrangement:

Leo gives away his daughter:

Mike, Maddy, Ryan, and Leslie:

Brynne and Kent:

Kent and Mike:

Ryan and Lance:

Maddy, Mike, and Ryan:

Someone (Ryan's aunt and cousin Peter) is sitting on the props!

There was ice cream from Loard's:

And popcorn:

And beer:

Erich with bridesmaid Sam (who introduced Ryan and Maddy):

There were games on the Meadow:

(That's meant to be Ladder Golf.)
Someone is taking a nap?

There was also a display of photos of Maddy and Ryan from childhood and beyond:

Soon we had to march back up the hill to the Dining Hall for the reception dinner.
Ryan and Maddy were still having photos taken (with Ryan's Mini pick-up):

The dinner menu:

Table place setting:

There was a circus theme, and most of the Stumpes were at the Tightrope Walker table:

PBB

The water bottles had the Camp Scrumpe logo:

The head table:

The wedding cake:

This photo is to show Maddy's reception dress:

PBB

Cutting the cake:

PBB

Aww, how sweet!

PBB

Later there was dancing, and we retired to our cabins.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

We took Brynne to catch the first BART train from Dublin/Pleasanton to the airport. On the drive back to Camp Arroyo, we saw several deer and a flock of turkeys. We decided to hike to find turkeys.

Found a very large pine cone from the Pinus coulteri/Coulter Pine:

KSS

In the foundation ruins seen around the camp:

Found the bocce or lawn bowling courts:

A Melanerpes formicivorus/Acorn Woodpecker:

Probably Odocoileus hemionus columbianus/Columbian Black-tailed Deer:

There was an orchard of nut trees, many of them grafted:

And visited by woodpeckers:

After a brunch of French toast, fruit, scrambled eggs, and bacon and sausage from 'Sean Connery,' Mike drove us and Erich to the BART station. Erich continued on the the San Francisco airport, and Kent and I disembarked at the Civic Center station for Hotel Whitcomb, a historic hotel on Market Street:

Hotel Whitcomb lobby

Ceiling above the reception desk

Since it was too early to check in, we checked our bags, and walked up Market Street to the Zuni Restaurant for lunch. We continued up Market Street to the Mint:

Then found our way to Haight Street to catch the number 71 bus to Golden Gate Park. There we visited the M H de Young Memorial Museum, a fine arts museum, in a building designed by architects Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Fong + Chan and built in 2005:

It replaces the museum damaged in the 1989 earthquake.
The Osher Sculpture Garden with Corridor Pin, Blue by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen:

Apples by Gustav Kraitz in the foreground and Conversation Piece by Juan Munoz in the background:

Fountain in the Music Concourse:

Hmm, why is there a statue of Robert Emmet here in the Music Concourse in front of the California Academy of Sciences?

Sculpted by Jerome Connor in 1919, it was somehow involved in fundraising for the Irish cause.
We took bus #71 all the way down to the Embarcadero, with the Ferry Building (opened 1898) and its clock tower: