Marthrob! And, Back in the U.S.S.A.

At the end of July, Allison and I once again made the little jaunt up over China and Siberia, across the North Pole, past Hudson Bay and Canada on the continent of North America, to arrive at the former Dutch and British colony of New York City– perhaps you’ve heard of it? This was a quick family-and-friends trip, and I warn you that this blog entry is probably in the special-interest category, so if you want more travelogue, just skip down to new entries on Suzhou/Hangzhou, and Ho Chi Minh City/Mekong Delta, just below.

I spent two days in Manhattan recovering from jet lag, visiting friends, and hitting just a couple of my favorite NYC sites, like MoMA (the Richard Serra exhibition is terrific, and of course the permanent collection is not bad), St. Patrick’s, and the reading room of the NY Public Library (pilgrimage site for some). Went running in Central Park, and also up to the Bronx for my first and only game at Yankee Stadium, to cross it off my lifetime list. They’re tearing it down after next season and opening a new park across the street. I apologize, fellow Yankees-haters, but this was my last chance to see a game at The House that Ruth Built. If it makes you feel any better, the place is a true pit, in much worse shape than Wrigley or Fenway; it should come down.

But the whole point of this visit to NY was a wonderful wedding – Allison joined me on Friday, and we went up to Rhinebeck, New York, on the Hudson River in Dutchess County, for the biggest event in the area since Woodstock – the wedding of MARTHROB. As readers of the tabloids know, Marthrob is my friends Martha Stolley and Rob Keefe. It was great to see these lovable, star-struck kids on their big day; normally I might disapprove of old men taking stunning, fresh brides off the market in this way, but it would be a bit hypocritical of me to judge.

The setting was idyllic, and the vows were heartfelt, genuine poetry. Great to see young Joe Keefe at the game, assisting his dad. We had a blast dancing the night away with Rob, Martha, and many old friends like Patrick, Barbra, Paul, Kristy, Colin, Wendy, Russ, Jim, Dan, Christen, John Galen, and touch base with people we hadn’t seen in too long, like Robin, Michelle, Consuelo and their spouses, Andrew and Sherry, Mary, and the Keefe and Stolley families. Thanks for the yard-cleaning story, Mark. Loved seeing Ted work the cell to get it all in on time. And whoever it was that grabbed me in that conga line – thanks.

We performed a ridiculous pageant/tribute show for Marthrob, something of a wedding tradition now for my friends and me, called “Law and Order: Special Matrimony Unit,” complete with a dynamite ukulele closing to “I Fought the Law and the Law Won.” Sadly, the film of this masterpiece has somehow disappeared, so it might just have to remain an ephemeral memory. Unless Ted can somehow get his version onto Youtube? Just think of the sensation when the Honeymooners Lost Episodes were discovered . . .

After Rhinebeck, we drove to Lancaster PA, Allison’s hometown (although this link actually has photos from both Lancaster and Bethesda). Barbara and Turk hosted a terrific party where we were able to see lots of family – aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and more. Then Allie and I, with Barbara and Turk, went to Bethesda, MD to hang out with Allison’s sister Liz her husband Peter, and their kids Lindsey and Natalie, who are adorable -- and I have photographic proof of that. We took the kids to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where we saw cool stuff, including the Space Shuttle, and the capsules I used to dream about as a kid. Lindsey and Natalie bravely entered the Shuttle Simulator with us as we all headed into outer space.

Raja came down from Boston for a day, and we all picnicked and rode the train at Cabin John in Virginia, then celebrated Liz’s birthday at a rockin’ restaurant/club, Posh’s, in DC.

Now Allison and I are back home in Hong Kong, getting over jet lag and hiking in preparation for our big trip to Tibet. We leave on Aug. 10th, get back on the 27th. We’re really looking forward to this one! Hope all is well with everyone in the States. Let me hear from you. I’ll blog about Tibet when we get back – until then, this is the luckiest and/or the most blessed man in the world, signing off.