There's no one here to stop you trying

Book (and incidentally various cards) given, open, and well-received. The first book was given at brunch, with my niece and her parents, and my mother was clearly delighted with the variety and selection and arrangement of photographs except for some of her at the beach. I thought she looked fine. The page with niece pictures was the warmest-received since she has got this great look at pretty much everything; one of her standing in the middle of a pile of leaves and looking impressed yet somehow offended by their lack of order was that centerpiece.

We tried to get some pictures outside the restaurant, but it turned out my camera's batteries had worn out and I didn't have replacements. We made do with my sister-in-law's Blackberry. My sister-in-law also objected to my mother bringing my niece down to run along the length of the pier and see if there were any fish in the water, apparently on safety grounds. I don't see the risk either but I suppose my sister-in-law is still getting used to the parenting thing and, honestly, only three of my mother's four children ever had to be retrieved by the state police before they were in kindergarten. Yes, I was among them.

My sister and her husband came down, after going to Great Adventure's Spookfest or whatever it's called, and we went to church where my parents got a special blessing and a smattering of applause for their anniversary. We also went to dinner where I didn't get anything because I really, really overate at brunch. They liked the photo album too, and if they noticed the accidental cutting out of my brother-in-law from one picture meant to highlight him, they didn't say anything, and I'm not going to bring it up to them. I'll just act shocked if anyone does ask about it.

Trivia: The Bank of North America was the first corporation chartered by the United States, by act of the Continental Congress in 1781. Source: The Company: A Short History Of A Revolutionary Idea, John Micklethwait, Adrian Wooldridge.

Currently Reading: The Secret History Of MI-6: 1909 - 1949, Keith Jeffery.