This past weekend marked a return to Boston, a reunion with Kira, and the unofficial kick-off to the holiday season with an early Friendsgiving. Allow me to enjoy this moment a little while longer… and then on with the weekly recap.

A wellness retreat in paradise.

The dourest hour.

Did I marry my first crush?

This is what I binge to clean the house.

A holiday preview, appetizer recipe, and homage to Auntie Mame.

Inside joke.

A reunion and an anniversary.

A house of Armour with a dear friend.

Classic shirtless male celebrities post.

Dazzlers of the Day included Michael Chow, Seth Meyers, Spencer Neville, Patrick Dempsey and John Legend.

So I said, “Listen, I got…” And I said, uh, uh, somethin’ about, uh
Goin’ to somebody’s funeral or something, she, I said, “Man, ” I said
I said, “Bring my flowers now, while I’m living”

Bring my flowers now, while I’m livin’
I won’t need your love when I’m gone
Don’t spend time, tears, or money on my old breathless body
If your heart is in them flowers, bring ’em on…

When JoAnn proposed a visit to the Armour-Stiner Octagon House, it was late spring and the promise of summer laid before us in all its splendor and hope. Of course, summers don’t always go as planned, and this one prevented us from making our planned trip, as well as canceling our annual summer visit. We made up for it last weekend, transforming it into a lovely fall weekend visit, with a drive through the foliage that would have only been green had we done it when originally planned. A small bit of recompense for our disappointing summer. 

All the miles cast a long shadow
I’d take a couple back if I could
I’d’ve learned to play guitar
Told my daddy more I loved him
But I believe, for the most part, I done good

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House, erected in the latter half of the 1800’s, is a marvel of artistry and wonder, and one of only about 1000 houses that were built in such a shape in that period. On this day we went back in time, a feat of magical movement that proved a balm for the soul, as did spending time with a friend I’ve had for a quarter of a century. 

The house welcomed use with a double set of round stairs leading easily and comfortably up to the grand surrounding porch. I could have lived right there and been content, so marvelous were the surroundings and the view. Our day was sumptuously sunny too, and already in the 70’s by mid-morning. 

There’s always sunrise and rainbows and babies
And the little things I cherish on my way
Even though one day
They’ll bury me and Jessie Mae
I just know we’re gonna ride again someday

Bring my flowers now, while I’m livin’
I won’t need your love when I’m gone
Don’t spend time, tears, or money on my old breathless body
Well, if your heart is in them flowers, bring ’em on

Inside was just as enchanting, and our guide told us tales of the previous owners, the renovation, and the present day functions of the eccentrically-shaped home. There was even a story of the ghostly Lady in White who was reported to occasionally haunt the space. Personally, I loved one of the triangular ‘solarium’ rooms, which was bathed in sunlight and provided a home for their outdoor palms and plants when the frosts arrived.

Glimpsing into the home of a family is always an intimate thing. It thrills us for various reasons – the notion of being let in behind the curtain, the understanding of someone’s home environment, the hints of their personality revealed in their living situation. In a house as grand as this, one seeks out little secrets of life, searching for parallels with their own. 

The days are long but the years are lightning
They’re bright and they will never strike again
I wish I’d been a better friend, a better daughter to my mother
There’s no goin’ back when your back’s against the wind

At this time of the year, they were capitalizing on the holidays, with a dining room decked out in the splendor you see here, along with some spooky touches for a haunted tour to take place later that day. The universal celebrations that we all experience in some way remind me that this circle of life is just that – a never-ending circle, repeating as it traces back upon itself. There was comfort in the thought, and comfort in the lovely surroundings.

Our beautiful exploration there felt like a visit to another time, and sharing it with a friend like JoAnn, who had been through so much in her life, was an exercise of healing, one that I didn’t fully understand how much I needed. 

Generations of various families had walked and played around this majestic home, and through it all the house stood at various conditions, somehow surviving and living to whisper its tales and history through faded photos and passed-on stories. Its beauty carried on. 

We listened to music on the long drive home – one of JoAnn’s greatest gifts to me has been sharing her musical tastes of the moment, and this song spoke of the moment. It was a very good moment. 

Bring my flowers now, while I’m livin’
I won’t need your love when I’m gone
Don’t spend time, tears, or money on my old breathless body
If your heart is in them flowers, bring ’em on
If your heart is in them flowers, bring ’em on

This fall marks the 25th anniversary of my friendship with Kira, and this weekend marks our reunion in Boston after over a year of not seeing each other. In many ways, this marks a new beginning – we’ve both been through a difficult year, and I have a feeling the weekend will be one of healing and catching up. 

Twenty-five years ago we were both working at John Hancock, sharing lunch in the basement cafeteria of the tallest building in Boston, and finding our way into our early-to-mid-twenties. The picture here is from a couple years after that, when I returned to Boston in 2000, before each of us would move away to be with the men who would become our husbands. We were still so young, still so unsure of where we were headed, where we were meant to be. Something told us we were better off going through such uncertainty together.

Our little journey of friendship continues this weekend, as we navigate the holidays while missing a few loved ones. 

This picture cracks me up for reasons known only to a select few – a private, inside joke among family that need not be explained or expounded upon here. A little mystery is good. 

{See more of Andy here.}