I’ve been a little discombobulated during the holidays, so I’m finally getting around to posting about a wedding I played in November, 2017 at the Vineyard at 37 High Holly in North Carolina. It was a lovely wedding full of wonderful people, and I had a great time, but setting up was a little bit of a challenge.

The wedding ceremony was to take place at the bottom of a hill. There were probably more than a hundred steps to get from the pavillion down to the site.

And these images don’t show the other half of the stairs to my left! Well, stairs and the harp don’t mix that well. It can be done, and there were plenty of people willing to help, but I was open to other options.

On the opposite side of the hill, there was a steep dirt road that was a bit washed out and could only be accessed by 4 wheel drive. I walked it and thought about taking my harp down the hill but it was so steep in places, I felt my shoes might slip. Now, I wasn’t wearing hiking boots or anything, but as a wildlife biologist, I have walked my share of steep paths, and this wasn’t something I was about to navigate with the harp on a cart.

The best option turned out to load my harp into the back of a truck driven by a very kind, patient and understanding man. He was so nice and let me fuss over the harp in the back with my mattress and pillows before setting off down the hill. I managed to feel like a fool taking a selfie with my harp all tucked into the truck, but memories are memories. Besides, with all the outdoor wedding venues up here, this probably will be a memory of the first time I rode in the back of a truck with my harp.

It was a great wedding, I got to use my amplification system for the first time! It was a little lonely at the bottom of the hill until some of the guests started arriving, but playing your harp by yourself up in the mountains with some of the beautiful fall foliage isn’t a bad thing.

There was some misty cool weather that opened up at the end while the bridal party were taking pictures in the low November sun.