Fireworks and Fortieth Birthday Bash

Saturday morning the Rosary Ladies got together to pray the rosary, and we also had a surprise cake for OK Cap to celebrate her half-birthday. Jilly Moose made the cake, which was crème de menthe flavor with chocolate frosting, and it was delicious. In the afternoon Travalon and I took Rodney to the dog park and stopped at Mr. Brews for a quick drink, then Rich came over and helped Travalon take the motor off his boat so he can take it to the repair shop. We still haven’t figured out why it won’t start, but hopefully they can. In the evening Travalon and I went to the East Side Club to watch the fireworks. They had an ingenious scheme going there: they only let members watch the fireworks from their lakeside property, but if you wanted to sign up as a member on the spot, then they would let you in. Now Travalon and I are dues-paying members of the East Side Club. It was worth it to watch the fireworks in a relaxed venue, with folding chairs in front of the lake. Richard Bonomo, Kathbert, Luxuli, and Prairie Man apparently got front-row seats on the Monona Terrace roof to watch the fireworks, which sounds kind of awesome, but Travalon pointed out that we didn’t have to deal with crowds.

Sunday Rich didn’t go to brunch, since he was going to the first Mass of a newly ordained priest, but some of the other regulars went. It is so pleasurable to converse with people who are deep thinkers. One girl had been an atheist but converted to Lutheranism and then Catholicism because of her study of art. In the afternoon Travalon and I drove down to Paoli to have a quick brew at the Hop Garden, and we brought Rodney and took a walk in Belleville. In the evening we went to the Married B-Boy’s 40^th birthday bash. Cecil Markovitch is renowned for his crazy gifts, but we all agreed he outdid himself this time: he brought a bunch of gifts that were age-related, like adult diapers and denture cleaner and a brochure selling coffins, and he had put a different party attendee’s name on each one as the “giver.” Then he, of course, gave a really nice gift (a coffee table book about the Holy Land) with his own name on it. We laughed so hard! Who else would come up with such a crazy idea?

Famous Hat