Name: Julie Allum
When and where: Sunday, April 3rd, 2016 at The Rainbow’s End, Glastonbury, England
Beverage: hot lemon and ginger
Last time we met in person: on my visit to England in April 2015
Friends on Facebook: since November 2007
Friends in real life: since July 15, 1990

I know the exact day Julie (and her other half Dave, who has the good sense to not be on Facebook himself) and I became friends, because I have a photo taken that day which has the date written on the back:

My boyfriend at the time, Steve (the one laying on the ground pointing at the camera) worked with Simon (the guy on the left) who introduced us to his friends Dave and Julie (center) at Tamworth Rockfest, headlined by Wolfsbane. We all lived in the Birmingham area and would hang out regularly at gigs and clubs, and also went on several holidays together. I moved to Cornwall in 1996, just a couple of months after Dave & Jules moved to Glastonbury, which was conveniently halfway between Birmingham and Cornwall. We would frequently get together either in Glastonbury or Cornwall, or sometimes I’d drive up to them and then we’d carpool together up to Birmingham. For the five years I lived in Cornwall, they were most definitely my closest friends and I would have been lost without them. When I married Chris in 2001, Julie was one of my bridesmaids.

Our meeting today took place when I was en route from Birmingham Airport, where I’d just flown in from Boston (via Dublin), to Cornwall. My friend Mal was driving, and we called in at Glastonbury for a lunch break and to meet Dave & Jules’ new kitties, Eddie and Monty. We walked into Glastonbury to get lunch at the Rainbow’s End, which was my favorite vegetarian café when I used to spend a lot of time there. It has new owners now, but it hasn’t changed much. The food is still delicious. We talked about all sorts of stuff: music, television shows we’ve been watching, families, and arrangements for the upcoming ELO show which we would be attending together a couple of weeks later. After a little stroll around town to see the sights, Mal and I left them to make our way onward to Cornwall.

Name: Lesley Addlem
When and where: Saturday, February 13th, 2016 at Pasta Beach, Newport, RI
Beverage: wine
Last time we met in person: we went out for breakfast in January
Friends on Facebook: since September 2009
Friends in real life: since I moved to Newport in July 2001.

Lesley was one of my first friends in Newport. A couple of years before we met, Chris bought our boat Folly from her late husband Mark, and they became good friends as they worked on the boat together. Lesley moved to Newport from Australia, so she was the one person I met early on who really understood how it felt to leave your home thousands of miles behind. One Sunday, just a couple of weeks after I’d moved here from England, I was feeling especially homesick. Chris and I had yet to find a place to live: we’d been housesitting but that house had just been put on the market, so we were staying back at his parents’ house while they were away on vacation. Chris was working on the harbor, and so I was all alone for the afternoon in this strange town. I think I’d walked down to the harbor to visit Chris at work, and I trudged back to the empty house feeling very lonely and rather sorry for myself. I opened the door to find a note from Lesley and a little bag containing some English chocolate bars she’d got me from the international aisle at Stop & Shop. This little act of kindness couldn’t have come at a better time, and I’ll never forget it.

We used to go out on regular shopping expeditions (like me, she loves a bargain) but haven’t seen so much of each other in recent years. We’ve attended a few concerts together lately and actually got together for breakfast last month, which would have totally counted for this project had I remembered to take a photo. (I’ve missed quite a few opportunities this way.) On this particularly cold evening, we met for dinner  at Pasta Beach before going to see the Slambovian Circus of Dreams at Channing Church. Conversation covered many topics, including the ridiculously cold temperatures that night, cross-country skiing, flights, the laws regarding the trade of ivory, and international tax regulations.

Name: David Enstone
When and where: Saturday, January 9th, 2016 at his home in Jamestown, RI
Beverage: coffee
Last time we met in person: we had dinner together towards the end of last summer
Friends on Facebook: since February 2009
Friends in real life: I can’t remember when it was that we first met, but I’m guessing it was around 2006.

David’s wife Judith is one of my favorite customers at PDQ. I’ve always enjoyed working with her on her projects, and over the years we’ve become friends. I don’t remember exactly when it was that I first met David, but it must have been at one of the many events they’ve invited us to at their home. Like me, David is from England, a big fan of Indian food, and a music lover, so we always have plenty to talk about.

The focus of today’s get together was lunch at Rasoi, an Indian restaurant in Pawtucket. Chris was away snowboarding in Vermont this weekend so I was quick to accept Judith’s invitation to lunch. This was my first visit there, although I’d heard great things about it from other friends. David and Judith had been a few times before and rated it highly, so I knew it must be good. All three of us had the vegan lunch buffet today, and it did not disappoint.

David is a very talented guitarist, and will shortly be teaching a course on the history and repertoire of the classical guitar, so we talked a bit about that today, plus more about music in general. We also discussed our connection to our home towns in England, and how it feels when we go back to visit. After lunch we drove back to their home in Jamestown for coffee, during which time I enjoyed a little go on their grand piano and a nice fuss with their lovely dogs, Bentley and Pippa. Again I almost forgot to get a photo but Judith (who’s not on Facebook: smart lady) kindly took this photo for us as I was about to leave. I went home with a copy of the sheet music for Clair de Lune, and the intention to learn how to play it.

Name: Mohamed Bharoochi
When and where: Sunday, January 3rd, 2016 at Richard’s Pub, East Greenwich, RI
Beverage: lemonade (Mo), beer (me, although I’d finished it by the time this photo was taken, and had moved on to water)
Last time we met in person: my visit to the UK in May 2014
Friends on Facebook: since October 2010
Friends in real life: since August 2007

I met Mo through our friends Scott and Ruth. Mo and Scott used to work together, and we first met when he gave us a ride to Scott and Ruth’s wedding in August 2007, where Mo and his wife Sumaya were acting as witnesses. We’ve stayed in touch since then via email and now mostly on Facebook, and I’ve seen him on most of my trips back to the UK. Through Scott he’s also become friendly with Ted and Susan via Facebook but they had never met in person… until today.

Mo and Sumaya flew over on New Year’s Day to celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary in New York City, then had arranged to spend a few days in Boston with Scott and Ruth, before flying over to San Francisco. Mo and Scott secretly planned this little rendezvous in Rhode Island so that Mo and Ted could finally get to meet. We had to be really careful not to let the cat out of the bag, especially in these past few days when we’ve spent a fair amount of time around Ted and Susan. We met Mo and Sumaya off the train from New York at Kingston Station and headed to Richard’s Pub, where we’d arranged to meet up with Ted and Susan for lunch. Scott, Ruth, Chris and I sat at a table for six, and Mo and Sumaya sat at an adjacent table for two. Ted and Susan arrived a short time after and took the remaining two seats at our table. After a couple of minutes of conversation, Scott asked Ted if he recognized the man sitting at the next table… here’s a photo of the exact moment of realization:

I’d say we managed to pull off the surprise quite nicely!

We were fortunate this afternoon to suffer from the slowest, sloppiest service I think I’ve ever received in a restaurant in the USA. Two appetizers arrived a good 15-20 minutes before the others (which then arrived very promptly after another server got involved) and I lost track of the time it took to get our entrées. But on the bright side, it gave us all lots of time to catch up, and I’m sure we’ll look back on it and enjoy complaining about it for many years!

Names: Scott & Ruth Hayes
When and where: Thursday, December 31st, 2015 at Parlor, Newport
Beverage: beer (Scott & Ruth), fizzy water (me)
Last time we met in person: We went out for dinner during my last visit to the UK in April 2015.
Friends on Facebook: since September 2007.
Friends in real life: photographic evidence seems to suggest that Scott and I have been friends since about 1991, and Ruth and I have just decided, after much deliberation, that we first met in 2003.

I first met Scott when he was renting a room in the same house as my old friend Glenn, who I’d known since we were at school. As they were the only people I knew at the time to have satellite TV, I started going round to watch Headbangers’ Ball on MTV with them every Sunday evening, and share a giant pizza which we’d order from the aptly named Fatso’s. We’d go out to clubs and gigs together all the time for a number of years, but gradually drifted apart as our circumstances changed and I moved away, first to Cornwall then to the USA. Eventually Scott got back in touch with me via FriendsReunited, we caught up on a long transatlantic phone call, and arranged to meet up on our next visit to the UK. He and Chris hit it off, and we’ve been good friends again ever since. We were introduced to Ruth not too long after they got together, and since then they’ve visited us here regularly, and I see them every time I go back to the UK.

It was satellite TV that first brought us together, so it’s quite fitting that we now stream our UK TV direct from the receiver in their bedroom. Thanks to Scott and Ruth, I’m able to keep up with Coronation Street and all our favorite shows from the UK. We also rely on Scott for all our IT problems. Even though we live thousands of miles apart, we probably see them more than any of our other friends, because of our regular video chats.

Scott and Ruth came over to spend Christmas in Chicago, and arranged a little side trip to see us before heading to Boston for a few days, before ultimately flying home. We don’t usually go out on new year’s eve but we made a special effort this time! First we had dinner at Tokyo House with them, Bud, Ted and Susan. We then had a little time to kill, so just nipped across the street to Parlor for a quick drink before the 11:00pm Bit Players show at the Firehouse Theater. The party was in full swing at Parlor, with a very noisy hip hop act taking place in the next room. We basically just tried to decipher what it was they were rapping about (“Did he say his name is Betty?”) and talked about how old we feel!

Name: Sarah Bainton Kahn
When and where: Wednesday, December 30th, 2015 at Empire Tea & Coffee, Newport
Beverage: chai latte (Sarah), tea (me)
Last time we met in person: We ran into each other at Newport Folk Festival last July, as we do most years.
Friends on Facebook: since August 2008.
Friends in real life: I’ve worked for her parents since July 2001, so probably not too long after that.

For all the time I’ve known Sarah, she’s been living in Washington DC so I’ve not seen her very often, but we bonded in the run up to the 2004 election. (I think we were both equally dismayed and disappointed with that result!) During the course of our friendship, she’s met and married her husband Zack, and produced two lovely sons. Our friendship is almost exclusively Facebook-based these days, and a few weeks ago she commented on something I’d posted about “the most middle-class things that ever happened,” expressing admiration for the device made for saving half an avocado. The very next time I went shopping, I just happened to notice one for sale, so I grabbed it for her, and we arranged to meet up the next time she came back to Newport to visit the family. This is the first time we’ve ever really sat down together for a chat, so we had a lot to cover. Topics discussed include our respective workplaces, the advantages/disadvantages of an open-office environment, her parents’ imminent retirement, and of course, some politics. The time flew and we almost forgot to take a photo before I had to get back to work and she went off to go shopping with her mom.

Names: Eric and Brenda Hultgren
When and where: Monday, December 28th, 2015 at the Corner Café, Newport
Beverage: ginger ale (Eric), tea (me), coffee (Brenda)
Last time we met in person: It’s got to be a couple of years… I think it was when they stayed with us after attending a wedding in Newport, but I can’t remember exactly when that was.
Friends on Facebook: Eric since February 2009, Brenda since July 2009.
Friends in real life: we were introduced on my very first visit to Newport in August 2000.

Eric and Chris became friends many years ago when they were both working as Assistant Harbormasters in Newport. Chris was in their wedding in 2000, and they both travelled to the UK for our wedding in 2001. After they married they moved to Connecticut, not too far away, but it means we don’t get together very often. Since then they’ve raised three beautiful children (Trevor, Connor, and Ella) and the whole family came to Newport today to visit a couple of the mansions, so we found the time to all meet up for lunch. Topics discussed include Disney, Doctor Who, and their upcoming trip to the UK next summer.

Name: Barnes Newberry
When and where: Saturday, December 5th, 2015 at the Gretchen Peters show at Common Fence Music in Portsmouth, RI
Beverage: coffee
Last time we met in person: September 2015, at the MVY listener appreciation party in Newport
Friends on Facebook: since September 2015
Friends in real life: since September 2015

Although I’ve been listening to Barnes’ excellent show on MVY for a while, I’d not met him until we attended the MVY Listener Appreciation Party in September, making him one of my newest Facebook friends. Since then we’ve stayed in touch on Facebook so it was nice to see him again at this show. It’s rare I get a chance to talk to someone who’s as passionate about music as I am (or quite possibly even more so), so I really bent his ear. I was lucky enough to win the chance to present an hour of music on MVY, which was aired in the last couple of weeks. He’d caught some of my Hot Seat and gave some positive feedback, which is very kind of him. With my new appreciation for how much effort and thought goes into such a show, I quizzed him on how he manages to produce 4+ hours of high-quality content week after week, year after year. We also had a good chat about the state of modern pop music, and the path of music appreciation. I’m sure he was relieved when Ben Glover and Gretchen Peters were on stage and he got a break from my relentless music nerd blatherings!

Names: Kelly Bailey and Eric Pfirrmann
When and where: Friday, December 4th, 2015 at their house, Newport
Beverage: wine (from a box)
Last time we met in person: August 2015, when we attended a special high-level gathering of a secret society, of which we’re all members. (Oops, now the cat’s out of the bag.)
Friends on Facebook: since August 2008
Friends in real life: we were introduced on my very first visit to Newport in August 2000.

Name: Lynn Sullivan
When and where: Tuesday, October 27th, 2015 at Malt, Newport
Beverage: I had a beer, Lynn had wine
Last time we met in person: over nine years ago!
Friends on Facebook: since December 2007
Friends in real life: since 2001 when I moved to Newport

Lynn was a friend of Chris’ and one of the first people he introduced me to when I moved to Newport in July 2001. At that time she lived in Middletown, so we used to get together regularly. We never forget each other’s birthdays, as they’re on the same day. She moved down to Florida nine years ago and although we’ve stayed in touch, this is the first time we’ve seen each other since then, so we had a lot of catching up to do. I think we could have talked all night! We made a promise not to wait another nine years before our next meeting.