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I have been feeling very guilty about this seriously overdue letter of thanks. Many things have conspired to prevent me from writing it, including a wait for internet service and our failure to find either of our computers. Luckily John's laptop has surfaced, since our entire garage is still jam packed with boxes and we are now in the mountains with Fiona and her family for a full week of ski-ing, after which I travel east with them to care for Teagan and Whitley whilst their parents are on business trips.
I hardly know where to begin saying thank you for the wonderful send off party that was organized for us. AND it truly was a surprise. There have been few occasions in my life when I have found myself completely bereft of words; that was one of them. It was truly amazing to walk into a room where there must have been close to a hundred people, ALL of whom I knew but in some cases had not seen for decades - and such a warm reception! So, unfortunately all the gracious things I should have said remained unsaid.
I know well how much work it takes to organize such an event and that many hands were involved with the preparations, from the guest list responsibility, to the food and wine; the hall decorations and gifts; the logistics and clean up - even the thoughtful decoration of the cake and welcome banner, and much more. Thank you all for the work you did to create such a memorable party. I hope that you enjoyed the fruits of your labors as much as we did, particularly the opportunity to catch up with so many old friends and colleagues.
The generosity of your gifts is overwhelming. I shall always remember the unveiling of the garden furniture! It is great to have it before the plans for the new garden are anything more than embryonic, so that we can plan those pieces into the design. I shall have a guest book to record those who come to sit on the bench, and will not be satisfied until all the current members have found their way to James Lane to do so. The late cold spell has hit the gardens hard and is a salutary lesson for me on which plants not to use. We hope to start the hardscape sometime next month, but Lunch- in-
the-Garden is a long way off!
I am not sure how many of the alumni will see this letter but we were delighted and touched that so many people made a considerable effort , and in some cases traveled quite a distance to attend. I wish there had been more time to chat with each of you. Thank you all for coming; as I have always said, in the end it is the guests who make the party and we had the best guests ever!
Many, many heartfelt thanks. We look forward to seeing you in April.
Sincerely
Jennifer & John
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