The fearless pandas will be setting out soon for a New Years Eve "celebration" in darkest Needham. Braving six new inches of snow and Boston traffic, they will set out to view the "unique western habits and needs" of the Needhamites. Accompanying the pandas will be an unsuspecting visitor from Paris. She will see sights never before witnessed by the sons and daughters of Gaul.

Happy New Year to all you fearless pandas. Be careful creeping around darkest Needham and watch out for things that go bump in the night!

It's very cold and windy outside. Will you be wearing your fur lined Speedo tonight?

Bon voyage and safe passage through the wilds of Needham.

Happy New Year, Panda!

they have come and they have gone....

we had wonderful champagne as an aparitif....some nibbles and a glorius dinner of shrimp with artichoke hearts and baby portobello mushrooms baked with a cream and cheese sauce....crusty bread, glazed carrots (good think carol was not here), a boston lettuce salad with a wonderful mango salad dressing that lcuy introduced us to from HI. a lovely white wine accompanied the meal. karen served her signature dessert from fanny farmer (the boston school of cooking from the early 20th C), lemon custard sponge.

we had wonderful conversations, talk of paris, fodors, travel, the rage going on on the latin america board, our meeting with a newish fodorite last nite to share thai food before she leaves for bkk next week, guenmai, dogster, tenombre, crellston and others, lux 2nd hand womens clothing shops around boston, and of course thailand....plus there was the usual drivle from gpanda....we just all ignor him..

they left very early to escape the snow and cold of the burbs....

Sounds great Bob - everyone's coming to you next New Year then.

Happy New Year to you all.

what could be better than a house full of fodorites...

I was disappointed. Bob was hatless. The food was great. When we left it was very cold. The pandas and guest made it safely back to Cambridge.

Happy New Year to all.