Birthday Dinner at Jean's

After my visit to the Boat Haven I returned to Jean's house to keep her company while she made her final preparations for the birthday dinner that she was having for Arnold and myself.  Jean's sister Vi and her partner Di had set the atmosphere by stringing  "Happy Birthday" in large letters across the width of the living and dining rooms.  They had also left eight cute gift boxes that looked like large dice full of treats for each of us.  (Mine will be very handy during my trip to Brazil.)  The unflappable Jean was had everything organized and was putting the finishing touches on the arrangements.  She knew that Arnold and I liked corned beef and produced an outstanding corned beef and cabbage meal that had Arnold commenting the next day how he regretted that he had not had a second helping.

Marlene, Will, Francis, Arnold, Toad

Francis and Toad at Work

Arnold Overseeing the Proceedings

Arnold and Sandra arrived first, followed in short order by Francis and "Toad" and Jean's in-laws Will and Marlene who live just down the road.  Sandra brought fresh baked rye bread to go with the meal, and Toad, a prize winning baker (no kidding, First Prize), brought a birthday cake that she had created for the occasion.

We started off in the living room with plenty of lively conversation accompanied by wines and other drinks.

After enjoying our meal accompanied by plenty more white and red wines, Toad brought out the cake, lit the candles (no, not 138 for our combined years), and Arnold and I blew them out like a couple of kids.  The cake was outstanding and I was later pleased to see Arnold and Sandra take some of it home with them. We were then presented with gifts from Vi and Francis and Toad.

Afterwards we sat around the table enjoying each other's company.  Francis, the great raconteur, was his usual life of the party and had us all in stitches of his account of being coaxed off the street in Port Townsend by a friend into a "singles" evening.  He found himself one of only two men in a room with more than 25 women,.  Then a guy in a wheelchair arrived and he was the only man to "connect" and was last seen being pushed out in his wheel chair by his new companion.  Ah, how I love life in Port Townsend.

Gift Boxes for Guests

It was a splendid evening for the eight of us and I'm sure that Arnold appreciates as much as I do the thoughtfulness and effort of Jean, Vi, Di, and the wonderful guests.

I managed to take a few photographs early in the evening, which I present now.  However, others took photos that I hope to be able to publish later.