Celebrating 80 Years

Happy 80th Birthday Evie

Jill And Drew And Family

Beth And Rami And the Family

Grandchildren

Well, it's a quiet morning here at the lake and I am athe only one up at 7:30, and the quiet is deafening. A hazy cloudless sky, light wind, and 64º begins the day. It's now 8:30 and I have just been holding Rhys for a half hour. He's in a great mood, happy to be stretched out on my legs, looking up at me.

Tom And Mary And Family

Yesterday was one of those memorable days because we celebrated my wife Evie's 80th birthday. The day was basically normal until late afternoon when the festivities began. So early morning, a number of us were up and I got to hold my grandson Rhys for 15 minutes, a great way to start the day. As the morning progressed, various family members got up, the girls last of course. Most made their own breakfast as we sat around planning our day, what we should do, who should go shopping and when. Around 11:00, a group took off and went for a walk around Bemus Point and Lakeside Drive. Others did another run to Wegman's leaving Evie and me home alone, a strange feeling. Earlier, I had gathered the trash and taken it to the Transfer Station and picked up a couple of bags of ice for our cooler on the porch where we keep all the drinks.

Rami

Mom

Marlena

Grand Parents

Mitch And Milena

Tom

Rhys

Proud Parents

Evie

Halle And Jill

When everyone returned from their walk, they were hungry and made sandwiches to go along with with chips and a Coke or Labatts Lite. It was easy and tasty as we saved the leftovers from Friday's dinner for today. Early afternoon, some napped, others sunbathed, and Drew and I and the girls went for a boat ride over to Bemus and back on a busy lake. 

Marlena, Hayden, And Halle

Sisters

Halle

By 4:45, all sixteen of us were gussied up for the annual taking of a family photo. It's always an onerous task, getting it set up, and trying to figure out how to arrange the group. Once we were done, it was time for Evie to open her presents from kids and grandkids and they did not disappoint. The highlight might have been either the Blink Outdoor Camera or the Ryobi electric lawn mower. They almost brought her to tears. 

Around 6:00, the caterers arrived with tables and our food, barbecued chicken and ribs, mac n cheese and a salad. We ate around 7:00 and everything was delicious, especially the ribs and mac n cheese. It was a special day for Evie and all of us enjoyed it. We spent the evening hanging out in the living room, on our phones, looking at photo books, or talking until 10:30 when most of us went up to bed, the end of a great day. 

Mitch And Milena

Milena And Mitch

Enjoying Rhys