(February) Three months after the wedding, Cathy and I take our honeymoon. First stop; a week on safari in Kenya's Tsavo West Game Reserve. The Salt Lick Lodge is unique for its remote location directly above a natural watering hole and salt lick. I say "above" because as you can see from the view off our balcony, the lodge is built two stories above valley floor, allowing the local fauna to keep to their traditional game trails, much to the delight of the tourists.

Speaking of tourists, a few minutes after checking in, a large family of elephants stopped by for a drink and a bath (which I also badly needed by this point). Greeted by this view from the lodge's restaurant deck, we were quite excited and took many photos. Turns out that this happens pretty much 24x7 (including late at night with the bellowing waking you up). By the third day, we were sarcastically saying, "oh great, more f'ing elephants!"

Note the tiny infant in the right image.

Each dawn and late afternoon our guide, Joseph, took us out on safari in our jeep. We had many, many great sightings (too many to bore you with here). Terrific through binoculars not so great through a compact digital camera. However, we were able to get close on occasion for some good snaps (hours of video footage though should you ever be suffering from insomnia severe enough to tolerate my witty narration).

Lots of horses with odd black markings. Hippos engaged in hippo-type activities.

We were not allowed out of the jeep for obvious reasons. Most of the time we didn't need to be reminded as in this rare and amazing up-close at-dawn sighting of some female lions on the hunt.

The animals were so used to the vehicles that you could pull right up and stop with them barely noticing. Cathy's favorite, the giraffes.

Following in Hemingway's footsteps, I answer the age-old question; "what's a safari on a brutally hot day without the comfort of a chilly local lager?" Here "off the reservation" literally to try and find an exceedingly rare rhino. Hours of driving around (and beers) later we spot one on the way out of the park (not pictured, those are more bloody elephants in the background. At least they have the good sense to shade under a tree).

Cathy and I take a break from animal spotting sitting on an elephant skull with Joseph our guide.

Honeymoon, stop two: Beijing. We visit the Forbidden City on a chilly day. Cathy checks the guide book to ask for a "western" toilet in Mandarin.

Cathy reads to the guards from Mao's Little Red Book. Apparently they're not impressed.

No trip to China is complete without shopping for tourist knickknacks in Badaling. Oh, apparently there's some sort of large wall here too.

Stop three, a quick weekend in Hong Kong. Cathy and from the roof-top deck of the Kowloon Sheraton overlooking the Straight and Hong Kong Island.

When the wife goes shopping and one is discouraged from investigating the local sex trade, one sits in the roof-top Jacuzzi and drinks.

The famous but foggy Hong Kong skyline from a traditional Green Star Ferry.

And finally, a week in very hot and humid Bali. The view of the amazing Westin Nusa Dua grounds from our balcony. A careful inspection would reveal several swim-up pool bars which, next to swim-up hot tub bars, are one of my very favorite things.

Rice paddies cling to the valley walls in Ubud in the more traditionally Balinese highlands, the island's cultural center. Also a little cooler, phew.

Cathy surveys the jungle from the lobby of the amazing Four Seasons in Ubud.

Though Indonesia is a Muslim nation, the small island of Bali is a lone outpost of tolerated Hinduism. This is just a typical local family compound that we happened to walk past; ornate architecture and many Hindu shrines. Every house, hotel and restaurant or place of business has at least one shrine, and every morning they're festooned with beautiful and fragrant offerings of flowers. Just lovely.

(March) We head down to Larchmont, outside New York City, for Anna's birthday party.

(April) Alex's bachelor party ends up at a club on Landsdown Street in Boston. Mr. Faroni craftily manages to avoid having any incriminating photos taken of him all evening. Not so for the rest of us (these are the few I've been permitted to publicly show).

I glory in the apparent fact that I've been wearing the same shirt for at least a month (see March, above), while Kriner toasts the guy who kicked me off the stage for not being female (or attractive) enough and Jim gooses the hottie who wouldn't leave us alone (we're irresistible when this drunk, not to mention excellent dancers).

Jim and I retire to the tub after an evening of snuggling. Damn I must like pink!

(May) At the bar at Vermont's Mountaintop Inn after Alex and Michelle's rehearsal dinner. Chris points to her cleavage, as if Jim needed the help.

A classic Racofsky moment: Jim uses a hand gesture to express his feelings. Amy's general expression when out with Jim.

A lovely ceremony indeed.

Michelle seems happy, despite the fact that she's now named "Faroni."

Let the reception (and open bar) commence. Jodi, Cath, Chris & Sue.

Just to change it up, Brandon, Mike and Tony join me for a beer.

With a few minutes to kill, Jim tells us that Amy's been, and I quote, "begging for it," so he takes her behind the barn old school.

Cathy and I

The Gang, minus Alex & Michelle who were apparently busy with wedding stuff (stuck-up bitches).

Jim & Amy.

Tony & Chris.

Adoration.

Jodi cops a drunken feel.

While dancing, Smitty's teeth (traveling downward) meet my head (traveling up). The result; Cathy is forced to perform unpleasant wifely duties (yet again) and staunch the profuse bleeding. And Scott, I still have a bump on my head, you drunken bastard.

(June) Kay's visit for the weekend happens to coincide with Cathy's Electric Insurance going away party.

The dogs are not allowed on the deck furniture.

Or the bed.

Kriner, Alex and I meet at Fenway for a Red Sox game. Well, for a couple of innings at least.

For reasons still uncertain, Mike orders the largest scorpion bowl in the tiki bar. Perhaps it was Alex's Popeye imitation.

... and the end result.

(July) Barclay shows off her ball balancing act.

With Chris and Tony at their pre-wedding family barbeque.

Chris & Tony tie the knot on a perfect Newburyport afternoon.

The reception with Amy, Jim, Alex & Michelle.

Cathy and I (my first reception all year where I didn't end up bleeding all over everyone).

Jim & Anna.

Mike & Karin who traveled up from North Carolina for the free beer.

The girls strike a pose.

Then get naughty.

Alex and Jim with a look all too familiar.

(August) Cathy and I join her dad and Hiroko in New York City for the weekend. Here with the Manhattan skyline from Liberty Island.

Did you know it was damn near impossible to look up Lady Liberty's dress?

Cathy, Courtney and Hiroko out for dinner in Little Italy.

(September) Max, lord of all he surveys (from the safety of a fenced-in deck).

Cathy and I visit Mike and Karin in Durham, NC, for a weekend.

Cath and I head off to Cancun for a long weekend.

The Le Meridien Hotel, hotter than hell.

An all-too-rare weekend camping, here a rainy Franconia Notch in New Hampshire's White Mountains.

No, that's not a life raft. Michelle helps Amy boost Jim's outdoor-manliness-quotient by ensuring that they have the only tent with an air mattress this side of Zsa Zsa Gabor's dog's cabana. I kid you not, camping with an actual full-size air mattress. Jim caught no end of shit for this.

Nothing sets off a knife-wielding maniac like the promise of a comfy night's rest and cocoa with marshmallows.

And, to complete the pussification of the weekend, there's never a bad time to have one's hair French-braided while reading "In Style." I believe that I've actually grown a vagina by this point.

In 2007 we're planning a guys-only trip where sleep on, bath in and eat only dirt. Hoo rah.

(October) Either you know what this is or you don't. Cath and I take a one-year anniversary trip back to the North Shore.

Tony, Kriner and I join Michelle at Lucky's in Boston for a surprise birthday party for Alex.

(November) During our annual Thanksgiving week to the UK, we take a trip out to Windsor Castle. Originally built by William the Conqueror over 1,000 years ago, Windsor is the world's oldest and largest continually occupied castle. "It's beautiful, but why'd they build it so close to the airport?" An American tourist is famously known to have asked.

St. George's Chapel in the foreground left, burial spot of a host of kings, queens and other famous folk.

A trip into London and a visit to the British National Museum. A complete Greek temple.

An Egyptian sphinx.

The Rosetta Stone.

Cathy and Kay hangout in the foyer while Phil searches for the lav.

Dinner out in Sunbury, Jim and Anna join us for the weekend. Giving the Blue Dragon a miss this year (see last year's incident in the previous Mark'sWorld), the gang goes out for a piss-up at the Phoenix and then down the road for some tasty Indian.

(December) As usual, we leave to the last minute the air mile collection trips, this year to Phoenix. On a beautiful and warm Saturday, Cath and I take a day trip up to Sedona and east to Meteor Crater.

A much cooler weekend back home and a hike with the pups at Pawtuckaway State Park, not far from where we live.

New Year's Eve and a stop at Jodi & Mike's dinner party. Here Cathy reluctantly says goodbye to Jeff and Deb.

New Year's Eve and tradition continues at the Racofsky's.

Much later and God knows what we're doing here. Singing I think.

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