Jimmy with his wife Xiaoli, their son Abraham and their baby daughter Brook came all the way from Long Island, New York.  From Worcester were Xiaoyan, her husband Tao and their son Dan. From Great Boston area were: Qiang, his wife Wei (828) and his parents, in Brookline; Yifeng (788), his wife, in Waltham, riding together with Hong, in Wenham.  All of them were warmly received by the host and hostess, Xiang and his wife Wu Jie (815) four months into her pregnancy at the time.  All of them missed Jianjun, the only 818 member in northeast US who could not join them due to family reason. 

It was a gorgeous day in the early summer of New England, with bright sunshine and gentle breeze caressing the green grass.  Driving out of the condensed big cities, it was a delightful contrast to enjoy the picturesque New England countryside along the winding roads leading to the beautiful new house of Xiang and Jie’s. Such joy it was to meet so many old friends at one place, memories were back, new experiences were exchanged… The engaging and spontaneous conversations were only briefly interrupted by the abundant and delicious food homemade or shopped from the finest restaurant in NYC’s China town.   Yifeng updated the crowd on the current status of our beloved USTC, especially The College of Life Science, the former Department 8.  Everyone congratulated Xiang and Jie on their coming baby,  and was happy to see the latest addition to the 818 family, Jimmy and Xiaoli's healthy and lovely baby girl Brook.   Dan and Abraham added fun to the crowd as always.  Yifeng did not miss the opportunity to learn about the last Chinese civil war from Qiang's father, a Liberation War veteran.

While BBQing on the spacious open porch,  guys enjoyed the pretty views overlooking a vast green lawn surrounded by dense woods on a gentle slope of a rolling hill. Birds were singing, deer were running.  Everyone was having a great time.