Party, party!

I went to a marvelous party!
I must say the fun was intense!
We all had to do what the people we knew
Would be doing a hundred years hence!
Dear Cecil arrived wearing armor,
Some shells and a black feather boa.
Poor Millicent wore a surrealist comb
Made of bits of mosaic from St. Peter's in Rome,
But the weight was so great that she had to go home.
I couldn't have liked it more!

      -Noel Coward

And it was a marvelous party given by two dear friends, Eric and Jeff, who were celebrating thirty years together.

The weekend began with an elegant room in the Renaissance Hotel on Public Square in Cleveland. The hotel was built around 1917 and has been completely restored to its former grandeur.

Friday evening we had a gourmet dinner at Fire, a very high-end restaurant on Shaker Square near where they live.

Saturday morning was a tour on 'Lolly the Trolley', which took us all around Cleveland and Shaker Heights. The tour guide didn't miss a brick in this tour. Cleveland is in an odd place right now, having gone through a major decline and now bouncing back to its former grandeur. But much of the tour was 'There is where the elegant mansion of Mr. Soandso formerly stood.' But it was enjoyable.

That evening we had a cocktail cruise out into Lake Erie and then up the Cuyahoga River. Much of the riverside is industrial waste, so it wasn't exactly like the scenic Hudson, but I had a charming cruise companion which made it a great evening.

Then back to Whisky Park for a glorious picnic. These guys went all out!

This morning there was a champagne breakfast at their sensational apartment in Moreland Court neat Shaker Square. This is a 1927 apartment building that has been compared to the Dakota in New York City.

Eric and friends

Jeff and friends

Dear Eric and Jeff, I can hardly wait for your fiftieth!!