Carol and I went to a wonderful wedding this afternoon. Two friends of Carol’s, whom she had introduced, were married in a classic wood-frame New England church, painted white and surrounded by lush green grass and trees. The liberal religious minister managed to balance tradition and innovations like asking everyone gathered to hold the rings for a moment during the service to bless them, before passing them to the next person. The reception was held in a barn that smelled of hay. Of course there was contra dancing. At the reception, we talked to people who came from very different walks of life including a financial managers, a farmer, a builder, and a yoga instructor. Even though it’s still August, it was one of those grey rainy days where the temperature hovered around 60 degrees, which meant it got cold sitting in that barn for the reception. That’s New England for you.