Aunt Lizzie's daughter married Sir Ronald Lindsay. Mother says he was often at the house and once told my father,

"I never travel unless I can go first class."

Soon after, Sir Ronald became the British ambassador to Washington. Therefore, for a while, one cousin was the British ambassador to Washington while another was the United States ambassador to the Court of St. James. (That gets me into the royal enclosure at Ascot - big deal if you like hats.)

My great aunt Marnie was one of the famous Sutherland sisters - stars of the "steam set." Aunt Marnie was presented to court in Peking at the turn of the century and later was three times married for her money... which she always denied she had.

I remember sitting in the drawing room of her Park Avenue apartment watching her address Christmas cards. I was five years old. Catching my quizzical expression, she paused, "This one is for the lift starter at The Dorchester, this one's for my maid at Le Crillon, this one goes to a nice taxi man in Hong Kong, and this one is for the doorman downstairs. I can see my friends whenever I want, but these are the wonderful people who make my life comfortable, and they are the most important of all."