Who's Anna?

Someone who follows this blog asked me, "Who's Anna?" Which made me marvel at the enduring nature of some friendships, even over great distances.

I met Anna Maschino Bragdon standing in line on Capitol Hill, waiting to get into a banking committee mark up in 1990. We stood in a lot of lines that year, and found out that we had a lot more in common than our similar jobs. Otherwise, I doubt we would have stayed in touch as long as we have. Anna moved away from DC in 1997 -- first to Australia and the South Pacific for a year, which is when I learned all about air mail; and then, when she returned to the States, to Maine, where she lives now.

We've managed to see each other at least twice a year since she moved. Most often, we catch up in Maine -- she took these photos Memorial Day weekend last year, at the Pemaquid Point lighthouse and in a canoe on China Lake; if you follow the link to her blog (where the canoe photo was first published), you'll understand why I love going there -- though sometimes we see each other in DC. She and Tarren, her wonderful husband, basically changed planes at Logan Airport on their way back from a three-week safari in Africa to come to our wedding in Tennessee. That beat my sister, who only drove from California!

Anna and Tarren stopped by Arnold this weekend. They were in the area for business and decided to tack on some time to see friends and family who live nearby. We were thrilled that they were our first non-family overnight guests in the new house. We took them out on the boat, but we never quite got down to the waterfront festival in Annapolis. Kerry Sutten and his friend Mark dropped in on us from Capitol Hill, so we pulled together an impromptu dinner party and watched the sunset from the deck. I'm not sure anyone missed having a night out on the town!
Dianne