It was a bright day, in a room just off Laurel Lake in Lee, MA, and our photos have suffered as a result. But even with the glare, you’ll see what a festive occasion our holiday party on Saturday was. This is one of the rare times when our far flung freelance colleagues gather with the staff they work with constantly. I suppose you might say that they have online relationships, and it’s amusing to see people who have worked together intensely for months meeting for the first time. 
We do have photos of ourselves in Skype and Basecamp (well, some of us do–there are a few hold-outs), but there are always surprises.
It’s a very cohesive group, with a great sense of humor. Liz had just returned on a red-eye flight from the west coast and was definitely suffering from jetlag after her 24-hour round-trip. “Karen, have you heard of Sky Mall?” she asked, and told us that she had done all her Christmas shopping on the plane. I think this may actually be true.
It was good to find that everyone was glad to have Indian food, and after we got the room warmed up, mostly by body heat, it was a perfect place for a group this size. You might think that we should be eating Chinese food, given our predilection for things Chinese, but none of the local restaurants come up to our standard. On the other hand, the food at the Bombay Grill is superb–easily as good as anywhere I’ve eaten in New York and as most places in London. This discovery has made 
life in the Berkshires possible. Here’s a photo of Jenn Frederick and her boyfriend Chris enjoying the meal, and the sunshine. And here’s Joe DiStefano with Monika, who went to school with Joe and Jenn in Columbia County, just over the state line in New York. Joe’s about to leave us, setting off for the big city to make a career in animation, but we’re still counting on seeing him at next year’s party. Oddly enough, after two years with us and working closely with Francesca Forrest on every issue of Guanxi: The China Letter, the two have never met. Next year!
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