Holding court

This past weekend was just SO much fun.

Okay. Sunday was fun. I spent Saturday cleaning carpets on the patio. Not so much fun.

But Sunday was a blast. It was time for the annual Italian Festival in the historic Rondout district on the Kingston waterfront.

The Rondout faces onto the Rondout Creek which runs down from the Catskill Mountains and empties into the Hudson River, just a few hundred yards from the waterfront. The district used to be a major shipping and industrial port, with pleasure cruises coming up the Hudson River from New York City or down from Albany to enjoy day trips to Kingston Point Park or to catch rail connections to resorts in the Catskill region.

Bear in mind that this was considered by some (and sadly, still is) as "the other side of the river" - meaning that while the Vanderbilts, Roosevelts and other titans of the Golden Age would summer at their palatial mansions on the east side of the Hudson, the west side was the gateway to the largely Jewish and Catholic institutions and resorts.

It was a largely blue collar, working man's district full of row houses and shotgun flats, with the wealthy shipping magnates occupying mansions on the ridge overhead.

In the latter 1900s, it fell into disrepair and over the last few years has achieved a very bohemian, funky atmosphere as artists studios, galleries, shops and cafes have sprung up in these beautiful and affordable buildings.

Modern day: B was fortunate enough to land a post at the recently opened Madden's Fine Wines & Spirits - a gorgeous shop just two blocks up from the waterfront. And his boss, C, is amazing. She's warm and funny and a hugger. As a result, we've been pulled into this wild Irish/Italian family and have been become de facto members of the clan.

So, for the festival - A Taste of Italy - we all dressed up for an Italian wine tasting at the shop. C dressed as a gypsy, B as a gondolier (and a gayer gondolier you have NEVER seen), while I donned a bushy handlebar mustache, tuxedo shirt and black tie and old-fashioned black armbands - a perfect Italian waiter.

Our super-fantastic friends L&D joined us for the festivities. I had made fifteen heads of roasted garlic to be served with Gorgonzola cheese and Melba toast - the smell was insane!!! So good!

It was a huge success and at one point, L&D and I ventured down the street to C's brothers' restaurant, Savona's Trattoria, for some luscious cocktails, fried calamari and mozzarella sticks.

My BFF, AerialPJ joined us back up at the shop a little while later and we all hung out while the mobs devoured the refreshments and cleared the shelves of some of the featured wines.

After L&D headed home, AerialPJ and headed back down to Savona's for cocktails (and to ogle her handsome actor/restaurateur brother and some smoking hot waiters).

Over the course of the evening and while waiting for B and C to close up shop and join us - pretty much every person AerialPJ and I know in Kingston, most of the other members of C's family,- ended up at our table in the bar chatting with us.

It was delightful. AerialPJ and felt as though we were holding court. The wine was flowing, the conversation sparkling and the delight of seeing so many friends in one place in one evening was so gratifying.

AerialPJ's adoring fans and cast mates from a number of local theatrical productions stopped by to bask in his glittering presence. His local celebrity - which we have dubbed "Celebrelique" (think Diamonique - not the real thing but still pretty and sparkly) grows by leaps and bounds with each production. His most recent and dashing appearance as the male lead in Singing in the Rain, Don Lockwood, left children rapt, elderly women straining to get a better eyeful of beefcake, and one developmentally-stunted former male escort with a bizarre speech impediment in the audience hooting nonsense as though he had suddenly been struck with Turrets.

A new acquaintance, whom I had met earlier at the wine shop and shall be called Norbert, joined us at the table, quite sh*tfaced and reeking of cigarettes and bought us another bottle of fabulous wine. We figured at least if he were here drinking with us, he wouldn't end up face down in the river.

After a glittering evening of bestowing our wry insights and rapier jests, B joined us and we dined on a variety of toothsome Italian delicacies, bringing the now totally incomprehensible Norbert to the table with us to get some food into his system and keep him out of harm's way (and the river).

AerialPJ also became the new best girlfriend of C's youngest daughter, and took over her phone to text, confuse and befuddle one of her little male schoolmates who had the audacity to text her for information about her older sister. Having dated most of the men in the tri-state area, AerialPJ has now become her spiritual advisor in how to handle boys. He may have also mentally scarred the oldest daughter's boyfriend, who was unlucky enough to have been introduced to us.

It was a glorious evening full of friends, laughter and fun.

Love you all - especially AerialPJ, and L&D. We're so lucky to be here and to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Ciao, bellas!