John's Birthday Dinner

Well, it was not just another Friday night at GopherBrokeFarm. Friday was John’s 55th birthday and there was a small birthday dinner party to celebrate. Unfortunately work kept me at the office until nearly 5 and by the time I got home, got packed, got to the liquor store and the gas station it was 7:00 and that meant I didn’t get there until after 9.

The drive up was very pleasant. Very little traffic since the summer Friday night rush up to cottage country has not started yet and the weather was warm enough to drive with the window down, which suited both Bella and I. There were very interesting cloud formations to the west and I passed through storm clouds and rain on the journey, but it was mostly sunny. I was particularly awed by the clouds to the west. There was a very localized storm in that direction and the dark grey storm cloud had holes punched into it through which the sunlight blazed. From my vantage point seeing the sunlight erupting from the cloud reminded me of a religious picture. Sorry, I did not take time to stop and snap a picture.

Fortunately, Barb and John aren’t ones to be bothered too much by small things as a guest arriving for dinner well after it was underway. I had called ahead and told them to go ahead without me. Most folks had finished eating by the time I got there, but some had not. I joined just in time for the 2nd (or maybe it was the 3rd) pot of mussels to come off the stove. We ate salad and mussels with pan juices sopped up with a delicious hot bread. Soooo tasty! As we finished eating and the boys were in the living room putting together a gi-normous barbeque that had been the family gift to John.

Jason, a friend of the boys, arrived and they went out to the music house to have an evening of music. Quite a few years earlier, Rob, Bennett and Jason had been in a band called “Off the Mark”, while they were going to college. After college, Rob decided to pursue music professionally and the other boys did not.. Rob lives with his folks when he is not touring and works with his Dad in construction to make enough money to get along.

After dinner, we took the wicker chairs (a birthday gift from John’s Parents) around the side of the house that faced the moon and lit a bonfire. It was perfect for sitting out! We sat chatting and drinking wine. The fire was blazing as we sat outside enjoying the sound of the peepers and the crickets as background to the music under the stars and the moon.

The music was great. They went through a set of the their Off the Mark band tunes and after a bit, the boys started playing oldies! They played music that I remember from the first time around when I was in my teens and twenties. I was surprised at their repertoire – but I guess they have been immersed in music from a young age. John has played in a hobby band for quite some time.


The chairs were comfortable and the night was warm. Not a summer night, but definitely a warm night and a good evening celebrating John’s birthday. A great evening was had by all!

I took a "portrait" of John and Gibson as I was leaving.