Peg Ryan has done it for Condé Nast, Mademoiselle, Vogue, Working Woman, Art in America, and countless catalogues and ads for Diane Romano’s company (editor’s note: bless her heart). Peg was production director and color specialist in publishing for more than 40 years and has worked with the best of them (Alexander Liberman, to name one finicky one). They said she was the best at color matching and could look at a page rebalance it in a second. “They said I had a knack for color,” she says; a knack that would make a wonderful, successful career.

But she wore a tee-shirt to Cherry Grove about 29 years ago that read “I love My Weekends” that Ceejay Rosen really took to.  Peg may have had a great eye for color but Ceej had a great eye for Peg. It started a lifelong relationship.   

Ceejay: “Can you imagine: In our lifetime?!”

This past July they were married. “Peg’s mother Evie wore this ring for her own wedding in 1945.” Ceejay wiggles her third left finger and blinks loving tears.  “It fits me perfectly – can you imagine the joy?” 

Before Ceejay spotted the tee-shirt and who was in it, she had just left careers first at CBS and then in computers and computer products. She started in real estate where she would stay for more than 20 years, first at Corcoran and then at Brown Harris Stevens. Lest you think she was all-corporate, you have to know that she spent many months after college bopping around Amsterdam where she bought a car, then on to Paris, and the south of France ending in Nice. (Not too bad.) The entire time, she had stayed in touch with her grandmother and that eventually called her home to New York.

Ceejay and Peg spent some time in the Grove after their first meeting, then decided to head north and bought a house in Woodstock where they lived for a few years.  But the strong pull of the ocean and of course all of us delightful characters in Cherry Grove brought them back. Eighteen years ago they bought and renovated “S’Wonderful,” their beautiful home on Doctor’s Walk. 

Between them, they’ve volunteered for virtually everything this town has to offer. Walk captains, Art Show, Doctor’s Show, Casino. They’ve literally done it all – backstage crew, lights, cashier desk, hauling and schlepping, fixing and organizing. Hey! Ceejay was on the Arts Project and even served as president.  Just last weekend, they both appeared onstage in “An Evening with Ginger Snap.”  We’re out of breath just writing about it.

Now after a lifetime of NYC dwelling in their year-round digs, last year they sold and moved to Florida for the winter. So now, they’re snowbirds -- as well as lovebirds.  

Thank you both from a very grateful Cherry Grove.