The Old Mill is bordered by a wildlife preserve, Ridley Creek, and some private residences. All of these are beautiful and very tempting places to play in.

This is not a good idea for several reasons.

1)I can't vouch for the safety of the wildlife preserve. I used to run around in it when I was a kid and I got my share of skinned knees and posion ivy. It's a public park, and who knows who's walking around through there, never mind local dogs or raccoons. Yeah, okay, safe is boring, but pain is no fun either.

2)Ridley Creek's depths vary. Some areas require hip waders and are navigable by canoe, others are less than a foot deep. The current is fairly strong, especially when we've had a bit of rain. More than anything else, the creek is downstream from a sewage treatment plant. Ask Ted about the time he got sick from swimming in it. The creek is great to look at, but not great to play in.

3)There are private residences nearby. One of them has beautiful, hand-carved wooden bears on their lawn. These people don't like local wedding guests on their lawn without written permission (no kidding), so please don't go wandering over there. There are some bears almost exactly like them carved out of chestnut wood on each side of the fireplace inside the Mill, and nobody has to write a note for you to get a good look at them.

Besides, how can the bride hug you if she can't find you?