The Ole’ Boy Turned 70!

When the clock struck 12:00:01am this last Sunday I reached 70 years of age. Now…lots of people live to that age and beyond these days, but still…70 is getting up there. I blew right by 50, 60 and 65 without even thinking about it – no big deal, but I wanted friends and family with me for this birthday so we held a celebration at the Beirut Restaurant in Chiclayo. I’ll let the photos summarize what for me was a very special and memorable occasion, though I do want to repeat some words spoken at the restaurant by my sister Joyce somewhere around 2:30am…”Maribel throws one hell of a party!”

Some last minute finishing touches

Me, Brian and Maribel

My sister Joyce flew in from Milwaukee.

We had a clown as part of the entertainment. His instructions were to help as many guests as possible make fools of themselves. He succeeded admirably.

I’m pretty sure my friend Lucho didn’t expect to be wearing a toilet plunger as a hat at the party.

I was not immune

Maribel planned several surprises for me this evening. One of them was these young Marinera dancers. I had seen the boy Carlos dance previously. Our guests appreciated them as much as I did.

So you think you can dance?

Another surprise was this jazz combo, who played during dinner. I like many types of music, but jazz has always been my favorite.

Perhaps the nicest gift I received was this banner given to me by a group of friends.

It was an evening I will never forget. My thanks to those friends and family members who were there to share it with me.

Tom