Last night, the families and friends of Annie and Tommy gathered at FISH, a classy restaurant in Charleston, for the traditional rehearsal dinner. It was a crowded, noisy affair as we milled around having cocktails and delicious hors-devours, but it settled down to become a fairly quiet and very happy occasion. The Salsichs all sat together, which made it easy and fun for Cia and me to carry on good conversations with our brothers and sisters. Many excellent toasts were offered, including my reading of Gibran's "On Marriage", one of Cia's and my favorite poems. We left early, around 9:00 (after 3 hours of celebrating) and walked back in the pleasant darkness to the hotel.

 FISH Cafe, Charleston, SC

During the night -- sad to report -- Cia became quite sick with some sort of stomach ailment, and so this morning we stayed close to the hotel as she slowly started to feel better. Now, at 1:30, she's still deciding whether she will be able to attend the wedding with me. I'm hoping hoping hoping !! -- but mostly I hope she feels much better as the hours pass.