Happy Birthday James!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

James turned 85, and he invited us to his birthday party at Old Ranch for dinner with family and friends.

With a few open hours, we packed away Thanksgiving, relabeled the boxes correctly, and stored them in the garage until we either see Joe or our gardener, who will put them back up in the attic for another year.

We stopped short of bringing in Christmas, that can wait a day!

We got ready to depart for Seal Beach with an ETA of 5:00 pm; we were right on time!

James made a little speech and then pointed me out, laughing at how he could not keep up with my busy “social calendar”.

I told the story of the time James got 85 after nineteen holes, and we were sitting by the fire.  When Robert came out with the drinks, we pointed to James and said, “85 today”.  Poor old Robert began singing Happy Birthday…. this was fifteen years ago!

Introduction of the family!

We had great seats!

I was losing steam after two hours.

James versus the candle!

James won!

I was pooping out around 8:00 pm so we departed early; our friends understood.  Mary napped om the way home but after three Arnold Palmers, I was awake and ready to take on the world.

An Arnold Palmer drink is a nonalcoholic mix of iced tea and lemonade, named after the legendary golfer. The drink originated when Palmer’s wife, Winnie, made it for him, and a woman at a golf course overheard him ordering it and asked for “an Arnold Palmer drink” for herself. The original proportions were about two-thirds iced tea to one-third lemonade, though variations exist

The parking lot had an eerie look as the ground fog had formed, and with the driving range lighting made for a Halloweenish look!

Ground fog is a type of fog, also known as radiation fog, that forms close to the ground. It is a result of the ground cooling significantly overnight, causing the air immediately above it to cool to its dew point and condense into tiny water droplets. This type of fog typically forms on clear, calm nights, particularly during the fall and winter

The ground fog was thick on our way to the car.

We made it back home in about 17 minutes since there was little traffic.  We were too tired to watch TV, so we talked a while and then hit the sack; I needed my beauty sleep!  Mary met a bunch of people I had known via years of playing gold with James, and like a trooper, she introduced herself and ended up having conversations with almost everyone.   Mary is an amazing person, and I am proud to be with her!

I made a decision; I am NOT the arm candy, she is!

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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