Party at Dudes!

Hello dear friends.  Dude was sweet enough to throw a little get together for some of the girls from high school in the area.  I have not lived in the East for over 20 years and I haven't seen these girls since graduation.  It was so fun to see every one.

Before the party, Dude's younger brother, John, and his lovely wife Cathy stopped by to say hello.  Ok... I might as well spill the beans.  John had a HUGE crush on me.  He just didn't know it.  It was the first time I met my competition his bride and I hate to admit  it - she's great.   

Doesn't Dude do a great job with her flowers?  Love her arrangements.

Priscilla, Rosie and the hostess with the mostess hogging the wine.

I guess that bottle is just for her...

Meg and a very suspicious looking Sista.

Meg is great.  She's a big shot in the publishing business.  I'm sure she felt a little intimidated by my career success.

Isn't Mike cute?  She lives within minutes of Dude.  Love her dress.

It was wonderful to see Priscilla (far left).  She has twin daughters,  lives in Connecticut, and is a landscape designer.  

Rosie, on the far right, was the smartest girl in our class.  She went to Princeton and is a big shot lawyer.  I always asked Rosie to save me a seat next to her during exams. 

Sista crying to Mike how jealous she is of me.

I couldn't find a gluten-free cake for Dude's birthday so I told her not to worry - I would eat her piece too.

Here's to renewed friendships!

A Day at the Beach With Dude

Good Morning, dear friends.  The day before the lunch with my fellow bloggers, I drove to Connecticut to spend the night at Dude's gorgeous home.  After I arrived, she took me to her beach club on Fairfield Beach.  The weather was positively beautiful.

Dude knows her way around a snack bar.  Don't make fun of Dude's short stubby legs.  She's very sensitive about them.

It was old home week at the beach!  These lovely ladies, infamously known as the Kick sisters, used to babysit for Sista and me.  My question is why do they look younger than me?  

One other foot note... their brother, Alan, was my first boyfriend in first grade.  Poor guy, I don't know whether he ever got over me! 

When Dude and I were in high school, we often spent weekends at each others homes.  Casa Dude was my home away from home.  This is Mama and Papa Dude.  Papa Dude is about 9 feet tall and one of the funniest guys in the world.  Mama Dude is sheer sweetness.  It was wonderful to see them. 

It was great running into Miss Ellie at Dude's favorite gourmet grocery store.

Dude had a few stops to make on her pizza route before we headed home.

We then went on to my favorite nursery. 

I positively love their gift shop!

Dude gave me one of these darling votive holders.

Aren't these cards adorable?  A woman in town makes them.

Nothing beats a day at the beach with good friends.  Another post is headed your way covering the party that Dude hosted that evening.  And later in the week... a tour of Dude's gorgeous waterfront home.  

Life's a beach.

An old friend and a new movie

Hello dear friends.  Last week was one of the the best.  I had the opportunity to catch up with old friends and made some new ones. 

My old dear friend, Madalyn came to town to tour colleges with her darling daughter, Olivia.  Madalyn and I were great buds in high school.  We were in all the school plays together.  I was the star and she was my understudy.  OK, that's not true.  But I had to put it in there anyway to get her mad.

Madalyn and I spent 3 years together in Geometry 1.  We were the last holdouts of an "independent" class.  This type of class was experimental at the time.  We were allowed to move at your own pace.  Madalyn and I had 2 gears - slow and slower.  We were  told by our beloved teacher, Sister Kane, that no one has ever taken 3 years to finish that class.  I knew we were special.

Last time we were together 6 years ago in NYC with Dude...

So my buddy is actually working in the world of academia now.  She is a woman of many talents - two of which are singing and playing the guitar.  She does it professionally and if you live in the New York/Connecticut area you can witness Madalyn's talents.  Just don't ask her anything that has to do with Geometry, though.  You can view her website here. 

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch.  When in Beantown... a lobster roll and some homemade chips are in order.

Love the mini desserts restaurants are serving these days.  Did you know they are calorie-free?  Or at least I thought the waiter said that under his breath.... 

Have either one of us changed since high school?  

Maybe a  little.   

But I love her anyway!
heehee

*****

Speaking of singing, Diane Keaton does a great job of it in her new movie, And So It Goes starring with my good friend, Michael Douglas.  I don't care if the reviews are not 5 star - I loved it!  I laughed and cried throughout the whole movie.  The Mister sat stone faced wondering if there were any shooting or chase scenes on the horizon.

I just wish I had seen it before Michael and I had lunch at l'escale on Wednesday.  Ok ... so what if we weren't at the same table and we never said a word to each other.  We still had lunch together.  At the same restaurant.  In my book, that's called having lunch together.

Hope your week is filled with good friends.

In my next life I want to come back as cool as Diane Keaton.