Anniversary Party

     . . . . Yesterday was our  anniversary.  A perfect July day – appropriately hot but not too hot.  Phone calls and emails of congratulations arrived throughout the day. They were very much appreciated.

Then, off we went, with dear B, uptown to K&C's.  I marveled looking out the window of the service car, at the Hudson River and the city’s River - Highway greenery, extraordinarily lush and intensely, well, green. Or perhaps it's just that I've not been anywhere in 6 months except to where I can walk, so it was all new to my eyes in a way it wouldn't be in a normal summer.  That this isn't a normal summer was obvious because all the greenery of the center lane berms was overgrown and shaggy as our hair. 

Thus the photos K  took of us all last night in their courtyard-garden are all more treasured.  Their yard was beautiful  and peaceful. We reveled in being able to sit out under giant trees' canopy, within so much greenery and not worry about who was approaching us from behind, front or side.  As the evening deepened the fire flies appeared.  Finally so did The Cat reappear, who resented this invasion of how he likes things to be: only his two servants and himself, with no one else around to divert attention from Him.  Then The Cat remembered: O I like these people too -- as long as they go away again!

It being Saturday night in July, their street, filled with residents whose heritage hails from the Dominican Republic generally, or African American, have a party.  We could hear the music blasting and we enjoyed it, did not resent it.  And, thoughtfully, the music stopped at 10 PM.  We were home by about 11:30 -- which was early for us when having a party with K and C.  In Other Times we'd probably not have rolled back here until 3 or 4 in the AM.

C made the very best Salad Nicoise with salmon --  I went to sleep wondering how C got the green beans to taste the way they did -- and woke up wondering the same.  K grilled boar sausage;  there was cold shrimp with a hot mustard rémoulade.  Also cold duck, sliced very thin with foi gras and crisp crackers.

El V had brought a bottle of good champagne, and that, shared among us, was dessert.  We didn't want to leave, they wanted us to stay, but leave we did, when the car service returned to pick us up at 10:30.

To have such friends and have them in such times is a blessing.  There was no one else I would have wanted to be with on this occasion, the first social occasion, since early in March.

The West Side Highway had heavy traffic beyond what I expected, though not what it would have been Before. Before it would have taken far longer than 20 minutes driving between here and K&C's on a Saturday night.  All along the Hudson River, on both sides of the highway, people were packed when we went up -- and there were even more people, and still more flowing toward the River, when we came home.

The crescent moon was dark red-orange, hanging above the Statue of Liberty, throwing its light on the river water.

Back in our neighborhood, the car couldn't drive to our street because the street was blocked off to traffic and it was filled with tables and packed closely with people who didn't know each other, and who did not wear masks.  One fears we will not be able to repeat this evening again for about a year . . . .