Such a party. We started gathering about five O'clock, drinking toasts with champagne and presenting and opening gifts; with pleasant chatter, strollings in the garden, picture-taking, among the seven of us: Annie, Marcus, Kristen, Marianne, Gloria, Ham, and moi. Then, without much ado, Kristen and I (together, 4-hands) on the piano, played a couple of numbers from the Magic Flute that won warm applause, then Ham played Villa-Lobos and something like Hawaiian Bluegrass on his guitar that brought tears of joy. Then we sat down to the finest dinner, maybe, that Kristen has ever given: sublime cabbage rolls, carrots, potatoes, bread, magnificent Chianti, home-made angel-food cake, with home-made ice-cream, sprinkled with candied violets that I had myself helped pick, with Kristen and Annie, six months ago. And coffee. Gotta say, that the two glasses of champagne we'd each had before we sat down to play seems to've had no effect on Kristen's and my performance.