Day 3: A Marriage of Friends and Family (The Wedding Crashers)

Hickory, N.C., is Ray’s hometown. In the 1940s and 1950s, the town’s 10th Street SE was a cluster of families, and Ray’s had its little commune there. R.A. Kaylor was a carpenter, and he built himself a two-story home and a similar house next door for extra income. In his later years, he was wheelchair-bound because of a fall down the elevator shaft while working on Hickory’s 1920s City Hall Building. Crawling on hands and knees, he helped his son, C.L Kaylor, build his own house across 10th Street from the family home and two others as rentals a few doors down. Rhythm&RaeRay toured the street on this visit and took snapshots of Ray standing before his own homeplace and the two rentals his father built. The original 2-story houses have been long torn down. Their next stop was at Ray's old elementary school, where the cornerstone shows Ray's grandfather as an alderman. Rhythm&RaeRay are staying with Aunt Jane, Ray’s sister, a few miles away at a home she and her husband built in the 1970s. There Rhythm had a chance to meet cousins and his great aunt for the first time. Aunt Jane’s house would be home base for two nights as Rhythm&RaeRay fulfilled their mission for the trip – attending the wedding of Cousin Callie. Callie’s dad, Pete, and Ray were born two days apart and almost inseparable until the time they entered grade school. Their daughters had always felt that closeness. Callie’s wedding was at a rustic venue in the Granite Falls area, and it didn’t allow minors because of North Carolina’s alcohol regulations. For that reason, Rhythm&RaeRay expected to have to keep little Rhythm in the car as they took turns enjoying the merriment of the celebration. The parking attendant found them a shaded spot from which they could watch the outdoor ceremony, so Rhythm&RaeRay were set for the festivities. Even better, once the wedding party met Rhythm, they couldn’t deny him entrance into the reception and dinner dancing. Callie’s mom Lisa even danced with him while Rae and Ray filled their plates. They all ate barbecued chicken, pork and potatoes. Rhythm also enjoyed his first dance to The Village People and “YMCA.” Rhythm&RaeRay headed back toward Aunt Jane’s house, but Ray had one more mission to accomplish. His long-ago best friend Jim Williams lived along the route home. A surprise phone call and a surprise visit gave Ray a chance to show off his newest grandson to some of his oldest friends. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day.