September 6-9, 2024: Birthdays in San Antonio
	July 5-8, 2024: A Trip to Big Bend National Park
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Well, this year is a milestone, as Fred turns 70. We've not been bothering much birthday parties these past years, unless it's a milestone- like a decade marker or a Golden Jubilee. This year was one of those decade milestones- at least for Fred.

We Always Have a Cake, and Here is Fred with One of His

In the thirty-plus years that these birthday events have been held here in the Dallas townhouse, the cast of characters has of course changed; one could hardly expect that over that time it would have stayed the same. Friends have come and, regrettably, friends have gone. But even though none, save Fred and myself, have been here for every birthday, a surprising number have been here for a surprising number of them, and over the years a core group seems to have developed, comprised of the friends we've known the longest.

Let's take a look at this year's attendees, with perhaps a bit of background for each of them. Refer to the picture below, left.

Kneeling in front are Justin (l) and Gary. I have known Justin a bit longer than I have known Fred, having met him when Grant wast still alive, so of course Fred has known Justin as long as we have been together. Justin and Gary have been together about as long as Fred and I have, and so it's easy to see that they have been a fixture at most of the birthday celebrations in this album.

Fred's Birthday Group- 2024

At left in the middle row are Mario (l) and his husband, Steve. Fred and I have known them for, gosh, it must be more than fifteen years now. You've seen both of them on numerous pages in this album, as Mario's connections when he was the music critic at the Dallas Morning News got us access to numerous concerts. We've also traveled a number of times together, helping Steve achieve his goal of visiting all the State Capitols.

To their right (in the picture) are Ron and Jay, two more friends that we have known a long, long time. I met Ron playing pool in the early 1990s, and when he met Jay in the middle of that decade and they moved to Plano, Fred and I would visit them about once a month on the weekends Fred closed the greenhouses and we'd have a Saturday night hearts session. After Fred retired, there wasn't that natural time to get together, but we still see them every so often when they come down to town or we go to their house. Again, very longtime friends.

In the back row, to the left of Fred is our friend Lou, whom we've known since the late 1990s. When we were all still working, we saw him mostly at occasions like this, or perhaps for the occasional weekend activity, but now that we are all retired, and he lives closer than most of the other friends in this picture, we get together, either at his house or ours, pretty regularly. It is always a pleasant evening to share a meal and then watch a movie (of which I have a huge backlog). We hope Lou will be around for a while still, although he is making preparations in case he should decide to move to Costa Rica (where his family is from) permanently.

Finally, to Fred's right in the picture is our treasured friend, Lynne. We first met Lynne again in the mid-1990s, when she was married to another of our friends (another Ron). They were divorced a few years after we met, and Ron moved to Florida for his work. Lynne stayed in Dallas and we saw a great deal of her. When we got our first cat (Lucky) in 2008, we availed ourselves of the service that Lynne provided her other clients; she is a pet sitter par excellence. So aside from being one of our closest friends, she is also invaluable as she allows us to do the traveling we do, as we know that our kitties are in excellent hands. What we would do without her, I have no idea.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

Having all our oldest and dearest friends here to celebrate Fred's milestone birthday was very special. I fixed supper for the group, and one of the group, who shall remain unnamed, brought a special, second birthday cake for Fred. With the warning that, unlike the standard cake that I got for him, this one is very much X-rated, you can have a look at it here.

During the evening, both Fred and I took some pictures of our friends and ourselves enjoying the gathering, and I've picked the best of these to include here. I have put them in a short slide show.

To view the pictures, just click on the image at left and I will open a slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series of ten images. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

I think everyone enjoyed the evening a great deal, and I want to personally thank everyone who came to help celebrate my long-time partner's milestone achievement!

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	September 6-9, 2024: Birthdays in San Antonio
	July 5-8, 2024: A Trip to Big Bend National Park
	Return to the Index for 2024