Just back home myself (after a detour to Whole Foods).
Nora and Tom's house is OMG SO PRETTY!!1! Full of character and quirks and rich little details, and for having been there just over a month they've already done a crazy lot of unpacking and organizing and homeifying. And the longer they live there, the more completely unpacked and filled in and lived-in it is, the more amazing it's going to be. It's really just a terrific place.
And Nora and Tom were incredibly gracious, kind hosts (and Tom is a very quietly but very intensely doting DH). Nutty was her usual polished articulate quietly snarkalicious self, Emily was her usual leggy witty snarkalicious self (with bonus ringlets, courtesy of the humidity), vw brought groaningly rich desserts and looked relaxed and mellow and happy.
Victor was expansive and cheerful and rapidly got involved in an energetic discussion of proofing and copy style books with my brother Lukas's partner TJ. Lea was slightly sun-pinked but happy and voluble and with glorious short-cropped carroty orange hair, and was hard at work on a tiny complicated triangle of some complicated autumn-colored knitwork. DX was amused by everything and quite entertained by Caspar's serious, intent exploration of the backyard. flea and mr. flea were cool and charming and a really easeful, attuned-to-each-other couple to watch, and Caspar flitted back and forth between them, all bonded and eager and confident with them both.
Ellen was calm, quietly warm and snarky and interested in everyone and everything (planning to walk around Salem before catching the train, just so she could take it all in). Theo wore a cunning hat and was working on a gorgeous feather-light intricate cobweb of a black mohair scarf, and had tales of roommates, cats, homeowner woes, and Serenity viewings. Frankenbuddha brought excellent beer and tales of dodgy roommates and dodgier basement apartments and moving mishaps. And sj and TCG were, as noted above, smitten and attentive, and both just as beautiful as they look in the pictures sj has posted. And sj brought me a lovely little bag of Bitchly treats for no reason at all, and I'm still squeeing over them.
Also, despite Jen's blazing hotness, I did not run off with her, as she left a bit early for an evening of Shakespeare in the Park with a mysterious stranger. My heart is all broke.
Also, I now owe Hec a number of hugs from a variety of people. I take my duties very seriously, and I shall endeavor to deliver every last one to the very best of my ability.