Linda and I stood around the motel room, trying to figure out where Mama went. Linda called the front desk and found out Mama had checked out. I called the front desk to find out what time. Seems she checked out as soon as Ashley got her back to the hotel.

Somebody wrote and asked me if our family is like the Sopranos. I never watched the show, so I can't really compare it. But, to our credit, we don't have any dead bodies in the trunk of our cars. Still, there are times (and the moment when the hairy guy answered Mama's door was one of 'em) when I'm pretty sure an iron pipe would come in handy. 

The chaos of Mannie's wedding faded quickly yesterday as I sat on a hilltop in Bridal Veil, Oregon and witnessed a very sweet wedding ceremony for friends. The groom's uncle performed the event, under a rose-strewn arbor. He began by asking the bride and groom to take a breath, while he invited God to be present. Kym, the bride, needed the breather -- she'd cried all the way down the grassy path. It wasn't a long ceremony. Nor was it a showy event. Weddings on Monday afternoons aren't well-attended. But the sky was blue, the sun was shining and white impatients edged the lake. And, far as I know, nobody wanted to stuff anyone else in a trunk.

Daughter Shelby won the flower toss, catching the bride's calla lillies.

Oh, Lord.

*****

This in today from Joe Galloway:

DATELINE: Crawford, Texas

A tragic flood this morning destroyed the personal library of President
Bush. The flood began in the presidential bathroom where both of the
books were kept.

Both books have been lost. A presidential spokesman said the president
was devastated, since he was almost finished coloring the second one.

The White House attempted to contact FEMA, but got no answer.

*********

And a bit of good news. Wal-Mart will be stocking FACES OF FREEDOM. This is the compilation of profiles of soldiers killed in Iraq & Afghanistan. I am a contributing author to the book, having written the profiles for Utah, Georgia and Oregon. For more information, check out the website of editor Rebecca Pepin:

http://www.rebeccapepin.com/