rural studio wedding: saturday

Saturday morning, we took our sweet time getting out of bed. We had grand aspirations of going on a Rural Studio tour and hitting the Greensboro Flea Market, but after a long, leisurely brunch full of carbs and mimosas, we were lucky to make it out of the house at all. I took Kurt on a very abbreviated driving tour around Greensboro before we had to get ready for the big event. 

HERO in downtown Greensboro.

Rammed earth house. I'm still unclear of its origins (how much relation to Rural Studio) but I lived in it for a few weeks the summer after I graduated from Auburn while helping some friends work on...

...this Design Habitat house. Sadly, I had to rush off towards the end of its construction to start my big city job here and hadn't seen it finished until now. I always feel weird being nosy once people move into their houses, so we didn't poke around too much. It looks great though!

Next we headed out to the North Ward to see the 20K houses built by my fellow classmates. Here, the Bridge House.

Roundwood House.

Loft House.

And finally, Pattern Book. North Ward has exploded into quite a bustling neighborhood with lots of new houses and activity. Unfortunately, most of the thesis houses aren't occupied by the original clients but they are still looking good and well taken care of.

Next, we took a really quick drive by the progress at Lion's Park. Kurt seemed pretty interested in the projects here but unfortunately time didn't permit getting out to wander around.

Skate Park at Lion's Park. It was such a beautiful day. I'm glad kids were out there using it!

We had to rush back to Spencer House to get dolled up for the wedding. We drove past many catfish ponds and down a dirt road to reach Perry Lakes Park, the mosquito breeding ground lovely venue where the ceremony was being held.

Sign warning about, not one, but too drownings in the lake. I would be worried about crocodiles!

There are several Rural Studio projects at Perry Lakes and one of my favorites is a set of three bathrooms. They all have different views for you to enjoy while you are....um....taking care of business :) The first looks out on a meadow.

The next looks straight up to the sky.

And the final one "hugs" a tree. Kurt didn't think this tree was special enough and showed us several others in the forest which were deserving of more focus.

Once you pass by the bathrooms, you walk along a rail-less pathway (which irked Kurt too) and finally reach the pavilion where people were congregating for the ceremony.

The wedding was so sweet! Betsy had a permanent smile on her face the entire time. The bride and groom are both architects and during the vows, during the whole sickness and in health spiel, the preacher worked in through deadlines and lulls. While it could come off as cheesy, I thought it was pretty cute. Plus, it got a chuckle from the crowd. We all commiserate :)

What a cute couple! So happy for them!

Before departing for the reception, I wanted to show Kurt a few of the other projects at the park. First, we crossed over this formerly rail-less bridge. What?! Who doesn't like to live dangerously?!

Then we came to the Birding Tower. My plan for the day never included climbing a 100 foot tower in 90 degree temperatures. Everyone else was doing it though, so I dragged my sweaty self to the top.

The view is worth it. It also gave us a much needed break from the mosquitoes. Kurt cleverly said we were above the "bug line".

While I ended up with a millions pictures of things, Kurt and I didn't take many pictures together...this being one of the few.

Keely, Jessica, and I taking a breather while descending the tower. It was almost harder on the way down!

Hanging out at the bottom of the tower, with the bugs.

On the way to the reception, we stopped for milkshakes at J&R's in Marion. They supposedly have the Best Hamburgers "In the South" but I normally stick with the frozen treats. I think this place was the culmination of Kurt's Alabama culture shock. The woman at the cash register was, shall we say, very local. I was even a little confused by the guy singing karaoke in the dining area. My only regret is that they took down all the deer heads off the walls! I have some very fond memories of J&R's :)

We eventually made our way to the reception at the Lillian Moore House in downtown Marion. There was a local bluegrass band playing while guests mingled around the yard and house. It was very laid back and casual. I always hate to bother the bride and groom, so we didn't see too much of Charles and Betsy as they visited with all their family and friends. Then all of a sudden they were gone in a flourish of bubbles (searching for a picture of this). Congratulations, C&B! 

After some deliberation, the rest of us decided to head back to Spencer House and get some pizza and drinks for a laid back evening. I must have been so laid back that I fell asleep early. I feel bad for being a lame guest but that futon was calling my name! Vacations are so taxing :)