"That Woman is a One-Man Band..."

...said the innkeeper at Ferngrove, in Guerneville on the Russian River. She was referring to the lady who organizes the annual Stumptown Parade and Whiskereeno Pre-Parade. These take place today at 10, but by then Plot, Duck and many others who are part of tonight's wedding will be hiking on the beach South of Jenner.

Sarah Lucas is getting married tonight, and it's a special occasion. Sarah's Mom, Susan, was The Great Plotnik's mentor and friend in college, and when she and her husband Chuck migrated to New York, Chuck's office-mate at the New York Federal Reserve Bank just happened to be the lady who would transquackify into The Great Ducknik.

So Susan made dinner in her Upper West Side apartment and Chuck invited Duck and Plot, and the next thing they knew...well, not the next thing. Duck was ill. She took one bite of the lamb and knew she was going to throw up. So Plot drove her home.

Still, sometime later, Plot and Duck tried again and this time it took. And here they are, MUCHOS years later, at the wedding of Chuck and Susan's daughter Sarah, who was born five days after Plot and Duck's wedding.

Chuck is now married to Debbie, and theirs is the miraculous home in Deer Isle, Maine, where Plot, Duck and The Great BZWZ spent the marvellous week the summer before last.

Last night in Northern Shmalifornia, everyone drove down to The Big Yellow House, a picturesque lodge in Monte Rio, including quite a few people Plot and Duck hadn't seen in more than thirty years. There also were the children of old, old friends. The kids are now grown up. One's a brain surgeon. One's in her third year of medical school. One's finishing her doctorate at Yale. One's finishing his at Scripps. And Sarah is involved with economic development in Africa, where she has been in contact with The Great BZWZ.

Plot and Duck are grownups themselves. It's weird.

Lots of stories. Now, after hot scones in the motel, it's time to head for the coast.