Our awesome office manager Bonnie invited me out to her house last night. She lives in the mountains above Waterbury with her husband, Mark, and three dogs: Rosie, Greystoke, and Stella. Bonnie & Mark are like Rachel & Iain and Erika & Nathan rolled up into one couple; I felt instantly at home. The dogs are awesome, more like kids than dogs. Mark & Bonnie made BBQ chicken for dinner, and I spent the night; we sat out on their deck that overlooks the mountains...


(Sorry, you'll have to imagine the mountains in this picture--they were behind the fog.)

...laughing and talking until midnight. Then I went to sleep in the guest bedroom, where the window opens out onto the sound of a mountain stream chuckling to itself all night, and the stars play around in the tree tops. I slept exceedingly well.

In the morning I had breakfast au terrace, looking out over Bonnie's lovely flower beds...



...and woods...


Rosie was the only one of the three dogs who woke up early enough to see us off:


So it was that I had my first home-cooked dinner since May and got to hang out with new good friends who remind me of my old good friends at home.

Love,
Sarah