Happy Birthday to Me!

Wow, what a birthday weekend! My actual birthday was Saturday, March 2nd. Saturday was a family day, Sunday was a big celebration day. Saturday I had a leisurely morning in bed, and Ellen prepared a sumptuous breakfast for me and then she took me to John and Cynthia's at about 11a.m. or so. Maybe it was noon. Anyway, I spent the entire afternoon with them, which included going to Bellows Falls with them, where they took me to lunch at the Moon Dog Cafe: a sort of hippie restaurant where I had a Vermont Brie, Apple, Grilled Cheese Sandwich with potato salad. It was good! The rest of the time we sat by the stove in their living-room and enjoyed visiting. Then at 4p.m., I tuned in on my phone to the Tar Heels BB game against NC State - an excting game in which the first half was dominated by NCS, who had an 8-point advantage at the half, and the second half by the Heels who won by nine. The Heels are having a good year! Then at 6p.m. or so we went to Panda North where we met Ellen for supper. I had my fave, Mala Tofu. Yum!

My birthday breakfast prepared by Ellen. My phone was dead when we were at the Moon Dog Cafe, but I got these photos off the Internet:

This is exactly where we sat: J&C sat on the purple couch and I sat opposite on the flowered chair.

An interior picture of the Moon Dog Cafe. And here are two I took at Panda North:

Cynthia and John at Panda North.

Panda North interior. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sunday, we went to church at Guilford in the morning, and afterward, Ellen brought me home and left me there while she came back to the church to get ready for my brthday celebration, which started with a 1950's themed pot-luck supper at 5:00p.m., followed by a hymn-sing at 7p.m. The supper was fantastic! CLose to 100 people came - from thw Guilford Church, the Dummerston Church, River Singers, Hallowell, and beyond. The food table was full to the brim, and there were exactly the same number of people as there were chairs at the nine tables set up. There was a wondeerful energy in the room, we sang "Let Union Be," and "The Silver Rain," Brendon sang "My Way," Andy Davis wrote and sang a "Hymn for Larry Crockett," there were four birthday cakes (needed to hold a total of 91 candles). Many, many people came by to give me greetings, it was all just over the top and wonderful. I felt utterly surrounded by and wrapped in love. Scores of photos:

Andy and Robin starting things off.

Singing before we ate.

My plate of food.

The incredible food table.

Cutting the three-layer carrot cake made by Ellen.

Me with John.

Me with Ruth Barton and Merrill Barton. Ruth. was in the teen-age youth group in Dummerston when I was pastor there 1956-60.

Me with Sue Miller who was a two-year old girl when I first came to Dummerston in 1956.

With Arthur Davis and sweet, little Iona, just two months old - the youngest person at the party!

Four birthday cakes with candles! Because of COVID I didn't blow out the candles. We ended up extinguishing them by waving a paper plate over them like a fan.