A Toast

Here's to you, Lydia Francis Brunk, for the distance you have traveled with your intelligence and your hard work! Congratulations!
 

Dear Reader,  please recall, a niece of mine just graduated from Bryn Mawr College (yes, with high honor; and yes, I've already got two blog posts crammed with details!)  After Commencement, our celebrating group of family and friends went to a garden party**hosted by the college.

Now, because it was so nice being with the recent graduate and her family and her friends and fellow graduates, and because the weather was so nice, and because there were some fancy little sandwiches and strawberries and glasses of champagne, and because  everything had gone down so well to this point, I had already put my highest stamp of approval on the day.

It was then, when the sun was also going down well (as far as I could tell), that we set out for the restaurant where Lydia's father (my brother) was hosting us all for dinner and drinks.  It was a grand finale to the jubilant day! We raised our glasses high in a toast to Lydia!

(Alas, Viewer Dear, here's where the photographer [oui, moi] should have handed the camera across the table to Aaron!  She failed miserably by photographing not even half the table, utterly missing the guest of honor, and neglecting to film the actual toasts!)

So, ahem.  I'm drinking a glass of wine and raising my glass to you right now, Dear Lydia Francis, as I give this toast (It's late, but sincere).


May many delights of the heart, mind, and spirit and body come to you throughout your life's journey, and may your integrity and intelligence give you a head start out the gate* and take you far!   
(i.e. Have a good life!)

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Well, then, don't you know, we had yet one more grand finale to top off the evening!  The group walked out of the restaurant into the balmy night air to see a glorious luminescent full moon shimmering directly ahead! I know that when the moon is full, it's just a matter of degrees***.  

Wow, it's in honor of you! I told Lydia.

 As we discussed photographing the moon (something I'm inclined to do every time it shows its shiny full face), all of us pleasantly full folks riding in the van (eight of the nine who'd been toasting) got an excellent, brief tutorial from Aaron (obtaining a degree in photography from Pratt Institute).  If you watch closely, Viewer Dear, you'll spy not only the lovely full moon in the sky, but the road of life stretching out ahead for each one of us... ****

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 *Horse reference for the sake of the HM (Horse Man)

**Ricky Nelson's now giving me an ear worm!

***Pun intended (But, of course. Please tell me, Reader Dear, I don't have to go to such a degree to make explanation).

****AArgh . At times, Would-be-Viewer Dear, Blogspot proclaims the road of life one has taken (or, taken a photo of, at any rate, to be "too lengthy" [this video clip is barely two minutes long; I'll persevere]).