The Connelly Dynasty

Forget the Ming, Laugh at the Qing, The Connelly Dynasty is the one to watch.
Ever seen The Forbidden City? What the Emperor and his family had to put up with for living quarters? Drafty freezing dark caverns in the winter, hot, humid stifling ovens in the summer. Their Summer Palace? No phone, no internet, no microwave, no refrigerator. Marginally cooler than the residence a poky two-day ride away, but still beastly hot in the summer, and the little man-made lake a shallow breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Our Summer Palace? All the mod cons, the world at our fingertips through the magic of the internet, a short one-hour ride via Air Volvo to our Winter Palace, a lake that extends for miles north to south, no noisy servants, body guards, supplicants, advisors, assassins, groupies, generals... Just us, and on a day like today, a quiet lake with a lone kayaker in the distant distance, flocks of buzzing dragonflies, the gentle lapping of water against the dock and boats, a cool breeze vying with the warm sun. The Princes dispersed for the day, only the youngest, Prince William in residence until the evening. Blue skies, blue water, green trees, white sailboat, iced tea. Those old emperors never had it even close to this good....