Weekend Assingment #165

Weekend Assignment #165: You've had your share of birthdays by now. Relate one or two that stick out in your mind. Could be a happy birthday, or an important birthday, or a birthday when something interesting but unrelated happened. Any interesting birthday works.

Extra Credit: What birthday are you looking forward to? Numerically, I mean.

Let's see. I remember who was at my 3rd birthday - first memory I can date. That is also the day my grandfather died. (I have a hazy picture/memory of him but it seems more like a memory of a picture than an actual scene) One year I had 4 birthday parties - my real b-day with parents and brother, with friends, with my grandparents in Illinois, and with my older sibs in Alabama. I don't know what year that was. Obviously we took the big summer trip in early July that year. No mailing in those presents. My 16th, no new car but my parents, brother, and a couple friends went to Burke Lake (Fairfax county, VA) for a picnic and canoeing. The four of us "kids" brought the canoe around to the boat launch and on the way we tried chasing ducks. Four paddlers and we still couldn't catch 'em. The canoe sat pretty low in the water with all four of us (now it does with just my parents and me!). My 21st my folks and I went camping for the first time in years (hadn't gotten them to sleep on the ground since). I awoke on my 22nd below West Spanish Peak (San Isabel National Forest, CO). Awesome scenery. My mom shipped me cupcakes and a tub of icing to share with the rest of the "field campers". My 0th birthday was pretty darn exciting too, but I don't remember it (nor does Mom for that matter).

I'm not looking forward to any particular birthday. It is just a number. It's my nieces' and nephews' birthdays that get me - the oldest is 25!!!! The youngest will be 20 in October. Damn, I'm old.

P.S. - if I'd been in town I'd have taken photos of my TV and the camp stove. I wish I didn't watch as much TV as I do but sometimes I just want to vegetate. I was debating taking the stove with me on my overnight camping trip (to cook or not to cook, that is the question...). I find the temperature difficult to judge and control properly. As I use it more I will get better and not burn the eggs to the pan. I finally decided I really wanted to be able to make tea in the morning and stuck it in the car. And completely forgot tea bags.