Likewise, the mother of the bride (on the left) was radiant, beside her sister, who flew in from Arizona.
The next morning, I was up early to get a walk in, before the summer sun made being outside uncomfortable. The day before, I had noticed what looked like a park and small lake, across the highway from the wedding venue. I decided to go over and explore what this space included, and found a fantastic community space, called Osage Park (www.peelcompton.org).
As I strolled the various locations of the board walk through the wetlands, one could see how some invasive species and non-native plants, were choking out the small trees that were trying to get a start.
In the photo below, notice how this invasive, "bitter" root, has wrapped itself around the straight-growing plant, in such a way that will eventually destroy it. I realized this could be an illustration of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verse that says, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15) It crossed my mind how important this advise would be to the young couple getting married across the street, as well as the dozens of types of relationships that would be represented at the ceremony---parent/child; siblings; grandparents; aunts and uncles; cousins; friends; neighbors; work associates, and wedding ceremony vendors.
Meanwhile, back at the wedding venue across the street, workers were busily getting the reception hall set up for the special gourmet dinner planned for later that day:
The professional photo below shows the groom's parents and sister, beside him. The bride's parents and brother, are beside her.
Even after dancing for hours and visiting with all their friends, the bridge and groom did not look the least bit tired!
The brunch hosted the next day by the bride's parents, was a time to reflect on the many blessings of this experience, and the bride's parents' back yard provided the perfect setting for doing that.
The newlyweds were able to stop by, before they left for their honeymoon. This provided the perfect opportunity to get a photo of my brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws, who had all traveled from out of town, to be present for the wedding of their beautiful niece:
After the family photo, Kaitlyn and Logan changed into their "traveling clothes", to make the drive to the airport, before leaving for their honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico.
I am ending this blog, with a photo of the wedding venue, along with the sign that says, "One Way". It is a reminder to me that the devil likes nothing better than to destroy loving relationships. However, Jesus tells us there is ONE WAY to live, and that is to love God and love one another. Loving relationships can be destroyed when "bitter roots" are allowed to take hold. So keep that "weed whacker" ready to get rid of any "bitter roots" that try to become entangled in our relationships. Doing so will give us "MILES OF SMILES"!! Tricia
ADDEMDUM: The bride and groom had a special Bible set out at the entrance to their wedding venue, asking guests to highlight their favorite verse, and sign their name beside it. I am hoping Kaitlyn and Logan will highlight Hebrews 12:15 after they read this blog post, and sign "Grandma Tricia" beside it!
The entry level deck of the ferry is for vehicles, so this means passengers must walk up steps, to get to the upper levels that are for people. 
At another checkpoint, this lady found each person's name on the passenger list, and clicked on their name to show they had boarded. This device also had alerts to say if the passenger had indicated they needed mobility assistance. There was another set of stairs, that had a chair lift, that could carry one handicapped person at a time, to the upper deck. 
Passengers who wanted to enjoy the outdoors, but be in partial shade, could opt for sitting along the side decks of the ferry.
Passengers who wanted full sun could stretch out on the comfortable lounge chairs along the upper deck. Notice the beautiful blue sky, and the very flat blue water---those were both answers to prayers I had repeated frequently before my trip, because I get motion sickness, which is greatly aggravated by rough, choppy water!
Speaking of motion sickness, the blue, disposable buckets were located throughout the ship, for persons suddenly overtaken by the nausea/vomiting that some people experience on the water. It is appropriate that a Gideon Bible is sitting next to it, because it can also be of help when a person is in "uncharted waters". At the front of every Gideon Bible, there is a section that refers to which pages to read if you are sick, tired, scared, discouraged, lonely, etc.
Another remedy for motion sickness that some people find helpful are pressure point wrist bands, like the black one shown in this photo. This is the wrist of the cruise director, who had the devices available at her reception area, that passengers could either buy or "rent" for the day. When she saw I was trying to take a photograph of the wrist bands while they were still in their plastic container, she put it on as a demonstration of where they should be worn. I did not use the wrist bands, as I had taken the over the counter medication, Meclazine, for motion sickness. Thankfully, I did not have any issues related to this. 
While wondering around the ferry, I came across this small room, that looked like it might have once been living quarters for crew members, as it had a private toilet and sink, and was the location where the Gideon Bible was found.
I guess the reason I was so impressed by the fact there was a Gideon Bible on board, is because I once took a Carnival cruise into Mexico, and requested a Gideon Bible for my cabin The maid told me they did not have any Bibles on board. Furthermore, when I went to the Sunday morning chapel services, the priest who led the services said he did not have a Bible, and asked if anyone attending had one!! This was before the days of Bible apps on phones, so it made me thankful I was part of a program called First Place 4 Health, ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com) that emphasizes Scripture memorization!
As you would expect, this big ship had a gift shop, full of toys, souvenirs, and nautical-themed gifts of every description imaginable. Also, if you decided later you wanted a souvenir, you can order SS Badger items from their website at www.SSbadger.com
This is a photo of the museum that is a part of the ferry. The television screen has a video running continuously that gives a history of the SS Badger, and details about its unique Skinner Unaflow steam engines. This design enables the steam engine to provide efficiency that approaches that of a diesel engine. (Apparently, this is a big deal, as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated the Badger's propulsion system as a mechanical engineering landmark.) When chatting with the couple watching the video while I did, I learned that if you arrive at the ferry by motorcycle, you get to drive it yourself onto the ferry. That is probably reassuring to both the owner of the motorcycle, as well as the crew members who are tasked with getting all the vehicles onto the ferry!
Some of the amenities of the ferry were not in use, because of the COVID19 Pandemic. The last three items on these signs were accessible for seating, but there was no movie, gaming, or organized toddler activities scheduled on the day of my passage.
In addition to being on the National Register of Historic Places, the National Park Service also designated the ship a National Historic Landmark. The Badger is the only operating ferry of its kind in the world, and the ship is an icon of car ferry heritage on the Great Lakes. 
This photo taken on the upper deck, gives a good view of the area where the "brains" of the ship guide it on its course.
The ship has its own cafe, and if you know the meaning of the nautical flag alphabet, you can read the name of it, spelled out in flags, below the letters. The date of "1953" written on the life saver ring, references the fact that the SS Badger has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953. 
The motorcyclists were some of the first to leave the ferry when we arrived in Michigan, so I was able to hear the familiar roar of those Harley V-twin engines, as they continued on the land portion of their journey.
I snapped this photo from my car, to prove that I had, indeed, made it safely across the lake to the state of Michigan!
This highway sign as you leave the ferry, is a reminder that you have been on U.S. Highway 10 your entire time on the ferry. It is just that this particular segment of Highway 10 goes across the waters of Lake Michigan!
