Sea Girt, N.J.

It is Saturday, 5:30 PM. Ginger (one of our poodles) and I arrived here and started opening windows. This house doesn't have AC, so the windows, and their are plenty of them, are crucial. So is the ceiling fan in the dining room, and all the other fans we have here. It never gets as hot as DC--okay, it did get to 103 degrees quite a few summers ago over July 4th when we had house guests who subsequently never came back, but that was when the whole east coast was broiling.

I have sent up my laptop in the dining room. Ridge is due shortly. We take two cars so we can go separately when we desire. He isn't as enamored with the factory outlet stores as I am,and he doesn't go dancing on the Boardwalk! We will be going to sing the Brahms Requiem with the Shrewsbury Chorale on Tuesday (dancing night, I'm afraid--can't do everything). We do their sing-along every year and it is always some long piece that we practically know by heart. I'm looking forward to it.

Our friends are here, and we're looking forward to a birthday celebration we always do--it used to be at Piancone's in Bradley Beach, but they changed hands and now, to coin a sophisticated phrase, they suck. Such is life. We'll find another place.

Hope everyone out there is happy in their summer!

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