That's great you got to spend some time with your old friend! The contracting circle of friends you speak of is exactly what happened to me. My oldest friend got remarried and moved to Washington D.C. and the rest are busy with other things. It doesn't help matters that I've become a caregiver and I have to preplan time with friends way in advance. It's impossible now to plan things at the last minute.

The fish looks great! I have to seek out a few fish fries around here. We have a brewery close by that has decent fish and chips (Inver Grove Brewing).