Up 8:30. Finished Kristin’s lyric in am, returned Otis Redding bio to local library, skipped p.o. Packed etc. at home, picked up rental car, came back for Bree, headed to Rhinebeck. Traffic not as bad as last week; listened to asst. Christmas music. Stopped in Peekskill for most of the afternoon, went to a Salvation Army and Bruised Apple Books – scored Reminiscing with Sissle and Blake—and had an unusually cheap and satisfying lunch of beef stew w/ cassava at an Ecuadorian deli. Got coffee, caught up minimally on email, wrote 1 poem in day book (I’m 4 behind). Made the drive w/ some 1962 Ellington, inc. an interesting arrangement of “Blue Monk” I had no idea existed, had a more substantial conversation w/ Bree than we often get a chance for. Pulled into Rhinebeck about 8, had dinner w/ the Tsunami/Simple Machines circle: Jenny + Brian, Kristin + Bryan, Andrew Webster + his wife Emily (don’t think we’d met), Amy + Stefan, Kevin Cordt, David Brown, Warn Defever, Trip Gray. Played Cards against Humanity (don’t think I’ve ever won before). Stayed up talking, joined Bree in guest room at 2.