Anna Coit's picnic rock

Thirty years ago, when we'd just sold our house but the one I was building wasn't quite ready for occupancy, we were in something of a bind. Our friend Anna, who was in her 70s at the time, calmly announced that of course we could move in with her for a while. Of course: my wife and I, and our three kids—two teenagers and a two-year-old. No problem. It was an adventure—and, I think, a wonderful adventure for all of us. I was sorry to see it end, but, in a very real sense, it never did. Today, Anna hosted what has become an annual Labor Day picnic at her farm. We wouldn't have missed this gathering of the tribe to honor our oldest friend, a title we can confirm with absolute confidence: Anna is now 106. She's in remarkably good health for someone of that age, but, alas, she wasn't feeling well in the morning, so she couldn't be in attendance. This is where she would have been holding court, on a comfortable chair and under a sun shade by these rocks. Anna may not have been there physically, but she was certainly there to be celebrated... and to celebrate.