The birthday trip of ’06 was an overnight to West Springfield to attend The Big E. Dale went once many years ago (in fact, he saw his first reenactment there back in 1961) and I had never been so we decided a visit was overdue.

We spent Friday night lounging around the hotel room with beer, wine and room service. Not a bad evening at all. Saturday morning we headed out for our adventures at the fair. It took 90 long minutes to drive 2 miles. And don’t even get me started on the idiots who don’t merge when they are supposed to and then expect you to let them in the line in front of you. Grrrr.

Anyway.

When people say this is the Big E the emphasis really should be on BIG. As in huge. Because everything about the Big E is B-I-G.

Look at the horns on this sheep. Big.

And the size of these harnesses for the Budweiser Clydesdales. Big.

The pumpkin? Big.

The entertainment? Big. As in Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge. Okay, maybe not terribly big now but once upon a time? Big.

Cows? Big as sofas.

We managed to eat our way from one end of this big fair to the other, feasting on corn dogs and Italian sausages and pierogies and lobster rolls. And maybe a couple of big beers, too. There was a Mardi Gras parade complete with bands and floats and the throwing of beads. I’m guessing Amanda would laugh at a New England version of this event but it was a hoot. A big hoot.

And just in case you think that I didn’t think of you guys, take a look at this.

Yup. Me in a pink cowboy hat standing by a stand of even more pink cowboy hats. I resisted the urge to replace the one I had on my trip to Estes Park in 1981. Yee Haw.

Hello to all you knitters, spinners, bloggers and other interested parties. Carole’s husband Dale here. I get to be her guest blogger today because it’s her birthday and she should get the day off.

Carole and I, September 1996. We were both thinner. And we both had more hair. Ahem.

This is the 10th time that I’ve gotten to celebrate this day with Carole. That’s right. A decade of birthdays. I will not post her age (a guy can get in trouble for things like that) but I will remind you that last year she celebrated the big four-oh. You can probably figure out her age on your own, you’re a pretty smart bunch, I hear.

Carole and I both believe that birthdays are a great time to celebrate with a night out, or a party, or even a weekend get-away. We’ve even been known to do all three of those things for just one birthday. And honestly, some of our nicest mini-vacations have been when we’ve gone away to celebrate a birthday. For instance, we met Norma on Carole’s birthday get-away last year when we went to Vermont. And I’m sure Carole will be blogging about this year’s birthday trip. I hear she’s even planning a photo shoot with her new Moth shawl.

There I go, digressing again.

What I really want to do is reflect on birthdays in general and Carole’s in particular. I think a birthday should be a time to look back over the past year. Truly, it’s what you’ve done with those 365 days that’s important and a birthday celebration should be two-fold. It should celebrate what you’ve done, who you’ve spent your time with, and where you’ve gone during the past year. And it should also be a time to look forward to the beginning of a new year in your life. A time to anticipate what you’ll do, who you’ll do it with, and where you’ll go. It’s kind of like your own personal Happy New Year!

I know that this last year Carole has had a ball and a very big part of that is because of all of you out there that are reading this. It has been a fabulous year for friends, new and old, and trips and fiber and spinning wheels and so on and so on. You’ve all been there for my Carole. You’ve cheered her on, you’ve offered advice, you’ve consoled her and supported her and you’ve been her friends. No one knows what next year will bring. But I do know, for Carole, that it will include all of you.

Thanks for tuning in and wishing Carole a happy birthday. Oh, and one last thing.

Carole? You’re just as cute now as you were when this picture was taken almost 41 years ago. I love ya!

Dale

Top Ten Things About Hannah At 14

10. Hannah is now old enough to get a job in Massachusetts. She probably won’t. But it still cheers me up to think about it.
9. Hannah doesn’t trip over nothing quite as much as she used to. She’s still a klutz, but it’s sort of cute now.
8. Hannah and I went school shopping yesterday. We actually agreed on which sneakers are cool this year.
7. Which does not mean we agreed on which backpack to choose. Just saying.
6. Hannah becomes a high school freshman on Wednesday. This should go a long way in explaining the importance of #8 and #7.
5. Hannah mostly remembers to feed the dog. If she forgets, the dog is really good at reminding her.
4. Hannah is smart enough to have chosen mom’s homemade chocolate cake to have for her birthday dessert. Everyone in the family is grateful for this decision.
3. Hannah is just as pretty at 14 as she was at 13. Maybe even prettier.
2. Hannah is a loving and caring daughter/sister/friend.
1. Hannah is loved very much by her Mom and Dad. This will be true no matter what her age.

Won’t you all join me in wishing Hannah a very happy 14th birthday? Thanks, everyone!

My father-in-law, Jack, turned 80 last Friday. He was the guest of honor at a party held at his very own establishment, Jack’s Service. I may have had my reservations about throwing a party in an auto garage, but Jack’s friends at the shop knew what they were doing. It was relaxed and fun in a very retro kind of way.

Now, Jack has a way of bringing together all kinds of people – and this party was a perfect example of that.
There was family. LOTS of family.

And friends. LOTS and LOTS of friends.

There was the band, of course.

And food. Cooked on a very nifty (and borrowed) grill by the coordinator of this whole she-bang.

Like any good birthday party, there was cake.

And the biggest birthday card I have ever seen.

Finally, there was a major surprise. This is Sleepy LaBeef.

Have you heard of him? He’s also known as The Human Jukebox and he’s a very good friend of Jack’s. Sleepy was flown into town by the organizers of this party. His plane was delayed several hours but he finally arrived at about 10 pm. The look on Jack’s face when Sleepy strode into the garage and walked up to the microphone and started singing and playing was priceless.

Most of us were rocking and rolling into the wee hours.

The title of this post, by the way, was inspired by Sleepy’s closing song of the night. Yup, it was “Amazing Grace.” And it made me think how we were all together due not only to the amazing grace of God but also the amazing grace of my father-in-law. A man who loves everyone and everything and always find joy in life. Happy Birthday, Jack. And many, many more.