Food, Wine & Friends Page 264
Photos and Notes By
Gerald Weisl
There were signs of Autumn here and there, but the weather was
warm and we were due for our usual Indian Summer in early October.
The weather prognosticators were calling for temperatures in the high 80s and
low 90s for Silicon Valley.
Other signs visible this particular week were those trumpeting the UnaWilkins
Wedding.
For those arriving at the San Francisco International Airport...the local subway
carried an announcement!
Oakland's old time movie theater announced the festivities on
its marquee...
Along Highway 99 near Bakersfield, the Bob's Big Boy informed
motorists of the impending ceremony.
They were coming from all over the countryside for this momentous occasion and
even the bus station had a charter ready to bring people to the festivities'
location.
We drove from Burlingame, motoring through the lovely little
town of Saratoga onto a small, mountain road towards Sanborn Park.
You're definitely in the woods!
And luckily we spotted a sign...
And then we found it...
"I Do's" to the Left in the middle of a small grove of redwoods...
"We Did" to the right...a party area with a stage and nice picnic
table area.
There was a Guest Book to sign as we arrived and someone did a magnificent job
of assigning seating.
Each Table was color-coordinated and had particular guests...
The Bride and Groom were greeting the guests and watching the
clock...
They showed off a special bottle of Lan Crianza, adorned with the Kareasa &
Ralph Label...
...so each was holding a nice "bouquet."
Meanwhile, the Cake Lady was applying the finishing touches to
the wedding cake...
ICING
ON THE CAKE in LOS GATOS
And the tables were "set," too!
Don Julio was playing some nice tunes on his music box...
Don Julio... 510-851-2682
Kareasa's Mom was beaming...
How about a selfie?
OMG! They're Married!
Connie Poon was up on the wedding platform in preparation for the ceremony...
It was a nice, warm day and the sun was as bright as the blinding smiles all
around...
People started to gather in this small grove for the
ceremony...
Here's a look at the party venue from above...
And soon, music was playing and the bride and groom were
center stage with the "rabbi."
The Minister then began the ceremony...
And then it was time for the exchanging of the rings...
And soon it was time for the kissing-of-the-bride/kissing-of-the-groom...
Shortly after that, we learned of one of the couple's deepest,
darkest secrets!
And so they shared a Pumpkin It's It in front of the assembled multitude.
And after the ceremonial Eating of the It's It, we adjourned the proceedings and
made our way to the party site.
The Paella Team was just getting started...
HOLA
PAELLA
The other Hola Paella Team Member has
some nibbles to accompany the bubbles, beer and other beverages before we sat
down to eat.
Two more charming ladies waiting for the food and dancing...
After greeting everyone following the ceremony, the newlyweds came to join the
party.
And we hoisted some glasses to toast Kareasa and Ralph.
The Hola Paella crew was busy...
The Hola Paella Team was putting the finishing touches on
their culinary artistry...
And soon it was time to chow down...
We brought a rather large bottle of Pinot Noir to the
festivities...
You might say we went "whole hog"...and you'd have been 110% correct,
for there was a whole roast pig to pair with the paella.
And there was a special magnum of Pierre Moncuit Champagne for
the Newlyweds to enjoy.
A few people were then called upon to "give a
toast."
And then they called my name...shockingly!
What could I possibly say?
And besides, when Kareasa called earlier in the week, I jotted down some notes.
I didn't know I was supposed to give some sort of speech!
Connie Poon, though, helped and she brought the loaf of Wonder Bread to the
Newlyweds' table.
And Since I thought Kareasa requested a toaster...
...we presented the Newlyweds with a nice little two slicer job.
And when I was shopping for Wonder Bread I found some interesting boxes of
breakfast cereal...
After all of this, Ralph made the rounds and handed out bottles of his
home-brew:
Sloth Brewing...
Kareasa, meanwhile, made tracks for the cake and the cupcakes!
Aunt Kati was having a great time!
Kati & Jennifer
Grandma And Aunt Kati
Meanwhile, back at the Newlyweds' Table...
Damn, that cake looks good!
There was an announcement about something called The Money
Dance...Apparently guests pin dollar bills on the Newlyweds and dance for a five
or ten bucks' worth of time.
Mark, on the other hand, knew Kareasa looked like a Million Bucks on this
special day, so he was going to pin a big bill on Ralph!
The Old Boy moves pretty well and impressed the heck out of those young ladies
(who all wanted to go buy him a beer)...
Then this was looking dangerous...
...and sure enough!
Everybody was busting a move it seems!
Ralph may have been "toast" at this point, but these other folks were
just getting warmed up!
And as the sun was setting...
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