Watertown, MA. June, 2013

Offered without comment. Oh, well, maybe just one: This house of worship is no longer. In its place is Stepping Stones, a daycare center for children 2 months to 6 years. The sign has been modified to reflect this change.

Watertown, MA. May, 2015

My annual favorites from my town's Memorial Day parade were nowhere in evidence this year. Not to worry. This revolutionary guy is my new BFF.

Watertown, MA. May, 2015

The local team of twirlers that marches in my town's annual Memorial Day Parade is called the Blue Belles. This year, they featured a soloist, which was probably a good idea as the little girls who followed seemed to be having a hard time walking and twirling their batons at the same time. Jay asked me if there actually were still twirlers or had women's lib abolished them. I just let that pass.

Cambridge, MA. June, 1990

Today is Harvard Graduation Day. And anyone who lives or works in Cambridge knows to avoid Harvard Square at all costs. Especially do not plan (as I did) to meet a colleague there for lunch today. Because the university sets up its thousands of chairs in advance, how could my friend Patti and I, some 15 years ago, not take advantage of this photo opportunity the night before the big day? I say "Patti" but I really mean "Jocelyn James," one of Patti's countless alter egos. Each year on Graduation Day, I remember this photo shoot and laugh at the caption written on the back of this shot: "The crowd goes wild as Jocelyn Jas. takes to the stage on the opening night of her 'As a Feature' tour." I love my friends.

Rome. October, 1986

Da Pietro. One of my favorite restaurants in Rome. The food is traditional, yes, but with a little twist. Risotto of wild strawberries, for example. One night I watched a table of four shave a fresh white truffle into paper thin slices onto their fettucine. And the wonderful spinach gnocchi...one Roman friend called them "little poems." No argument.

Florence. October, 1986

It seemed for awhile that every time I'd go to some place in Europe, the pope would go there, too. Did he have access to my calendar? My itinerary? The most recent such "coincidence" happened in Barcelona just a few years ago when that Nazi pope was still in office, before he resigned. The current once, Francis, I wouldn't mind running into.

Lucca, Italy. November, 1986

When my friends Antonio and Roberta took me to one of their favorite local restaurants, I was not prepared for the owner to show up tableside in drag. But apparently he does this as such a matter of course that no one (except me) blinked an eye. As you can see from his vampy pose, he is completely within his comfort zone. I remember that the food was very good, too.