Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Paco and Paco: celebrating four decades of wedded bliss



Today is our 40th wedding anniversary, and we're doing what many people our age do to mark the day: we're cleaning out closets in anticipation of moving to our retirement home. Almost as torrid as a Harlequin romance, I know, but absolutely true.

The photo features the newly minted Mrs. Paco and me, flanked by her parents, at the reception held in my mother's house. Later on, we piled into a 1964 Chevy Biscayne and began the long trek into the Blue Ridge mountains for our honeymoon - and came damn near freezing because the guys who changed the oil in our car did fine on draining the old oil but forgot to put in new oil. Late at night, in the middle of nowhere, the engine began suffering extreme fatigue and we were chugging up a mountain at a maximum speed of 5 miles an hour. If we had broken down I'm afraid we'd have succumbed to the icy temperatures; however, I finally spotted a little convenience store and was able to purchase several cans of Pennzoil, which saved what was left of the day. Then we got to the resort where we had rented a cabin and found out that we couldn't check in until the next day.

An inauspicious start, fraught with setbacks. But we stuck it out, and here we are, 40 years later, still spliced. Ain't love grand?

16 comments:

bruce said...

What a lovely couple. Congratulations to you both.

Paco said...

My bride was lovely; in retrospect, I believe I rather resembled some minor functionary in Disraeli's second government.

JeffS said...

Congratulations! 40 years, woo hoo!

Gregoryno6 said...

Congratulations!

Deborah said...

Forty years!?! Quite a feat! Congratulations to you both! We raise our glasses of a fine and fitting drink! Cheers, and here's to many more!

RebeccaH said...

Mr. Paco sir! Is that ... is that ... hair?!?

Anyway, congratulations to you both, and best wishes for many more to come.

Mike_W said...

I didn't recognize Paco without his Fedora and double-breasted chalk-striped suit.
Handsome couple.

Paco said...

Rebecca: Sure, that's hair. Still got it, too. Although I don't wear it in that ridiculous 1970s style any longer. As a practical matter, I couldn't let it grow that long even I wanted to; it would make my hats ride up.

rinardman said...

Hmmm, is that a sly little 'thumbs up' you're giving with your left hand?

And well you should! I would have to say you definitely 'married up', as the saying goes. Oh, sorry. I meant to say...congratulations!

Paco said...

Haw! I was curious about the apparent "thumbs up" gesture, myself. I believe, however, that I am holding some kind of box in my hand, so presumably that's just the way I grasped it.

Paco said...

Actually, upon closer inspection, I think I simply latched onto my vest. Maybe it is a thumbs up.

Irobot said...

What an impressive milestone. Congratulations to you both.

rinardman said...

I bet it's a gang sign.

Probably that notorious gang, MS-Fedora.

Paco said...

C'mon, chico, you know what happens to guys who rat out the Fedoras!

rinardman said...

They get tied to a lamp post without their Fedora, in the middle of a bomb cyclone?

Skeeter said...

Heartiest congratulations to you both from Mrs Skeeter and me.
I must say that you are looking very pleased with yourself Paco — dare I say bordering on smug?
And rightly so with such a gorgeous bride.