The details of our weekend ...

FRIDAY NIGHT:

We were invited to attend Rob and Kelly's wedding in Toledo this past weekend (Rob is a nephew of Mr. Jones). The wedding wasn't until Saturday night, but we decided to drive down Friday afternoon and make a nice long weekend out of it. Rob lives in a condo downtown and got the family a nice rate at a hotel not far from his condo. We stayed at the Park Inn Hotel and you can see it on the far left of the picture above.I love heights, and our room was on the 11th floor. I was wondering what kind of view we would have from our window, hoping perhaps we were facing the riverfront. However, we actually had a bird's eye view of the Toledo Mud Hens stadium ... and NO game was being played all weekend!

After we checked in, even though it was rather cold and very windy, we decided to take a stroll downtown and see what we could see! We ended up walking into a little pub just around the corner from the stadium that advertised fish and chips for $5.99 and ate the most delicious meal!

But we walked along the riverfront for about an hour before we ate dinner. Mr. Jones took this picture of the seagulls all lined up on the dock ...

This is the Anthony Wayne Bridge. I haven't the foggiest notion WHO Anthony Wayne is ... but there is a highway named after him as well. This bridge is also known as "The Toledo Suspension Bridge."

This is the Willis B. Boyer, an old Cleveland Cliff's freighter. I love freighters. In my youth, we used to watch them by the hour going up and down the Detroit River ~ either from our boat or any number of riverside parks we used to visit.

And this incredibly beautiful bridge is called The Veteran's Bridge. We didn't even notice this bridge until the sun broke through the clouds and reflected back this gorgeous image! We crossed this very bridge the next day on our way to Marblehead. I took some pictures while we were on it, but none of them turned out very good at all.

SATURDAY ~ MARBLEHEAD LIGHT:

Since Rob's wedding ceremony didn't begin until 6:30 Saturday evening, we really had the whole day to do a little bit of sightseeing. While at home, I had googled Lake Erie lighthouses and discovered that Marblehead was a mere 50 miles from Toledo. Surely Mr. Jones wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of seeing a beautiful lighthouse!

Marblehead Light is at the tip of Marblehead Peninsula, at the entrance to Sandusky Bay, and is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes (since 1822).

This is the lighthouse keeper's house, renovated and restored. Actually, the original lighthouse keeper's house was almost a mile from here! This one was built at a much later date. I love the white picket fence.

The lighthouse was not open for tours while we were there. NEXT Saturday is a big deal weekend right here and it is open all day! I would have loved to go to the tippy top ... however, it is only 65' tall ... much shorter than the Lake Michigan 110' towers like Little Point Sable or Big Point Sable!

We saw quite a few sailboats and fishermen out and about ... it was a nice windy day for sailing.

There were SO many people there when we were taking pictures. I had to wait and wait in order to get a few shots without such a crowd.

The tower itself is made of limestone and sits on these rocky ledges along the shore. The green light flashes every six seconds and is visible for eleven nautical miles.

We walked around the grounds taking pictures for about an hour. It was windy and quite cold, but I was so happy to be there! Imagine living right here ~ what a paradise. We did have one other place of interest to visit before returning to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. Mr. Jones had also done some homework and guess what HE wanted to see?

How did you guess??? We drove over to Waterville to check out the Toledo Lake Erie & Western Railway and Museum, Inc. I didn't realize at the time that Mr. Jones was considering the hour-long scenic ride for that afternoon. However, the train was running late and we were concerned we might also be late for the wedding if we rode it that afternoon. We found out it was running the next afternoon as well, so we decided to wait until Sunday afternoon!

ROB AND KELLY'S WEDDING:

Rob and Kelly's wedding was beautiful. I didn't take many pictures, however, and none while we were at the church. Their photographer was doing a great job and I didn't want to interfere and be obnoxious, so I stayed out of the way entirely. The wedding ceremony was beautiful and joyous! This picture of Rob and Kelly was taken at their reception, which was over at a park pavillion (indoor ... and warm!)

Everybody who stood up in the wedding was family. Rob's two sisters, Melissa (above) and Alison were bridesmaids. Kelly's sister, Kim (below), was matron of honor. Kim's daughter (not pictured) was the flowergirl. She was barely four years old and just hilarious. Her baby brother was the honorary ring-bearer, complete with a tiny tuxedo (with tails!) The bridesmaids wore sleeveless, knee length, wine-colored satin dresses ... and were beautiful!

And isn't this just the most appropriate cookie for almost any member of the Jones family?! Rob works for the railroad, but I completely forget his job title. He has his degree in some type of engineering. Rob grew up loving trains (surprise, surprise) and helped his dad build models and work at the club layout.

SUNDAY:

The next morning, the whole family got together for breakfast. We enjoyed visiting with Peggy, Grandma Theda, Rick and Diane, Melissa and Neil, Alison and Nick, as well as Diane's brother and sister (and spouses). We had a wonderful time with all of them, but then it was time for everyone to go their separate ways.

Mr. Jones and I drove back to Waterville, which is just outside of Toledo, to catch the 1:00 train to Grand Rapids! I know, I know! When Mr. Jones told me we were taking the train to Grand Rapids, I thought he was kidding ... and he WAS. There is also a Grand Rapids, Ohio!

This is the tiny train station in Waterville that houses the train museum and where you purchase your ticket to ride the scenic Blue Bird train.

I like trains too. I think they are very fun and interesting ... to a degree. However, when it is a scenic train I get a lot more interested.

Yesterday was just a picture perfect day for this ride! I was surrounded by corn fields, barns, beautiful trees ... I felt like it was practically heaven! And the colors could not have been more beautiful.

"You have given me greater JOY
than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine."
PSALM 4.7

Our trip was 15 miles (round trip). We didn't quite go all the way to Grand Rapids, Ohio. I'm not sure why! Until we turned around to head back to the depot, we were told we had to stay inside the train ... so we did, but I didn't like it very much. The windows were not very conducive to photography and there was all of this amazing beauty ... everywhere!

But once we headed back, they allowed us to stand outside on the rear platform and that's where I took these pictures. It was a bit nippy out there, but it was so much better than being stuck inside.

Looking back on our weekend, I'm really not sure which part was my favorite! But I am thankful for every single bit of it!