The Gang was All Here...

...to celebrate Mike's birthday! Still didn't get any photos, though. But by some miracle, all four kids were able to be here for the celebration, with Megan as a bonus kid!

We cooked that monster ribeye Katherine bought. I actually think it was a prime rib, but who cares since it was delicious. I should say Michael did the cooking, as I found that piece of meat somewhat intimidating. It came out perfect. Michael is quite the cook and even made some chicken legs that were delicious. I made a broccoli salad, substituting blueberries for raisins in the original recipe, and adding cauliflower. It was really good.

Mike didn't tell me what he wants until the next day, and he showed me it at Target last night. It's a clock radio that plays CDs. It seems CDs are fazing out and will go the way of cassettes in the next few years.  No cars have players for them now.

Tonight we are having Thai Peanut chicken with fried rice and stir-fry broccoli. Having a fridge full of vegetables from the farmstand comes in handy.

Mike is 62

I asked him if he feels 'old' and he says he's felt old for years, lol. I told him he is 'younger' than most guys! Seriously, he's been doing yard work for the last few hours, like any Saturday. He says he no longer celebrates birthdays. That's too bad, because the kids are coming by for steak and lobster this evening...the same steak and lobster he was supposed to have for Father's Day!

I will try to get a picture in later. I'm sure he doesn't want me taking shots of him all sweaty from working outside.

Father's Day, 2016

The plan had been to have lobster dinner at home. Katherine even bought a rib eye that is so thick we called it a "Fred Flintstone" steak! James had reserved 4 lobsters at his store.

Unfortunately, someone goofed BIG TIME and there were 10 lobsters missing from the count. We were rooked of ours, and another family had the same trouble. Poor Jamie had to call them. He texted me to say it's a good thing he's always in a bad mood (not really, imho) because it prepares him for BS like this.

Soooo...total change of plans. Mike, Michael, Katherine and I all ended up having a nice dinner at Catfish Annie's. Alas, the younger boys had to work.

The kids gave Mike a lounger for the back yard. I'm sure he'll really enjoy it this summer. Katherine also brought a cassata cake, which is made with cannoli cream.

Here is Mike cutting the first piece.

Mike, Katherine and Michael.

Last weekend, we went to visit our friend, Virginia, down in New Jersey. It's always such a nice visit. She made a casserole with noodles, broccoli and cheese (etc) and the garlic bread she made was so fricking good I could NOT stop eating it.

We took a ride around and went to a nearby State Park--Monmouth, I think. We took a walk through their wildlife center and had fun watching real wildlife through one of the windows. I've never seen so man chipmunks, and I even got to see my first ground hog!

The center had taxidermied animals like this cute fellow:

I would love to see a real one in the wild, but this is probably as close as I'll ever get.

Next time I visit my friend, I'll have to be sure to actually get a picture of us together!

Nicky is 26!

He has some friends over and had a steak dinner with shrimp for an appetizer. I gave him a really nice watch and a funny t-shirt.

We were actually at our friend Virginia's (more on that later) and got back a few hours later than we'd expected due to a stupid fire near the Brooklyn/Queens expressway. Nothing like 2 hours plus of almost non-moving traffic. I didn't even realize it was Nick's birthday today when I planned the trip to visit Virginia, but it was only an over-nighter and it isn't like Nick is a baby. I seriously doubt he was heartbroken, lol.

We owe him a nice dinner out after he gets his front tooth fixed permanently. We offered to take him out today but he say 'no.' I think the missing tooth makes him self-conscious. His friends could care less, so he doesn't even mind eating steak as long as it is at home!

Way Before I was Born

I was doing a little geneaologic research the other day and came across this wonderful old picture:

Left to right, that's my Uncle Larry, Cousin Ann, Brother Bill, Cousin Joe, my Dad (William McNally) and Brother Patrick. Based on how little Pat and Bill are, I'd say this is around 1949. (Larry and my Dad are brothers.) There was about a 6 year difference in their ages, so Dad would be about 28 (born 1921) and Larry would be 22.

Alas, Dad, Uncle Larry, Cousin Joe and my brother Patrick have all passed on. This is why photography is such a blessing, because you always have those memories!