trip's start

Daniel's IM

SFO to LAX

LAX to EWR

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Monday 23 May 2005

09:00

I'm woken by the sounds of activity downstairs. As I walk to the stairs I spot the two bracelets that Lila made, a small one for Mom, a larger one for Emil.

10:30

Adam and Ziggy in the living room. The ladies - Felicia and Liz - have gone to Kings (the caterers) to pick up the food and desserts we ordered yesterday. The boys - Adam, Ziggy, Larry, and I - are at home, tidying a few things up.

11:30

Adam, Larry, Felicia setting up the buffet.

Liz and Larry take care of the flower arrangements.

13:00

The guests arrive punctually. Many at once. It's quite overwhelming to see faces I've not seen in twenty years. It's very comforting.

Here are Alan and Renée, children of my parents friends, and baby Harrison.

Sally and Simon, my god-parents, the New Yorkers (Brooklyn, near the Promenade) who made the city so glamorous for me when I was a young boy. It's because of them, more than anyone else, that I'm the urbanite I am today. I don't think they knew how important they were to my upbringing. I told them.

Bob, Marek, Carol, and Cesia. All pillars of my childhood. It's Bob & Carol, Marek & Cesia.

Rita, the mother of my best childhood friend. (And, of course, a very close friend of Mom and Dad both.)

Here's Emil explaining some of the dozens of photos that were placed on every horizontal surface in the house today, and several vertical ones too. You see one of two PowerBooks running a slide show of photos of Mom's life and times.

In the kitchen, Liz, Renée K., Avram (Rita's husband), and Grisha.

After a time the crowd was herded into the living room for small speeches, poems, stories, and hugs.

Emil gets a hug.

Cars were parked all over the lawn.

16:30

The guests gone, Ziggy rests on the living room sofa with two of three grandpas; that's Adam's father Ken at left.

A weary Felicia and Adam wilt at the living room table. Fel did a fantastic job managing the phone calls, the food, and other details. Good going, girl. Mom would have been proud.

23:30

I can't sleep. I'm all packed but too energized to fall asleep. I head back to the Time to Eat Diner, where my next-table neighbors are seven New Jersey State Police officers.

My day is done; I'm too exhausted to write more about the celebration. I have to awake and get to the airport in four hours.

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