It was a little bit of a dreary morning, but nice and cool with temps in the 60s. I worked on a variety of pending administrative items until the early afternoon.
Linda slept in and, once she got up, she extended her coffee time in her P.J.s well beyond the usual two hours. :)
Eventually, I got the inevitable call to play golf. With the rainy outlook, I was considering not playing today, but it took very little coercion to get me out there. :) Plus, Linda was getting into chef mode putting her lasagna together, so it was best I was out of the way.
Ted and I went out. I wasn't very focused on the front nine and made a few mistakes, but I got it together on the back nine as it rained on us for a few holes. I shot an 83 from the back tees and was satisfied with that.
As I was walking back to the rig, I heard Linda's voice and saw people walking away. As I got closer, I recognized the faces, but couldn't come up with the names. With everyone we've met, and me another year older, it's getting harder and harder to remember. :)
But as soon as I heard "Clark" I knew. It was Clark ("griswold" in the Forum) & Mary. Now, I was pretty sure they were from Texas but their car had Michigan license plates, so I was a bit confused.
As it turns out, Clark is doing some contract work here in Michigan and Mary joined him for a visit. They were just driving by, happened to see the Thunder Bay Resort sign, and decided to stop for a few minutes. According to Linda, they just missed catching her in her pajamas and it was late afternoon by then. :)
Clark & Mary had to get to Lansing, so we just got to speak for a minute, but it was good seeing them again and we appreciate it very much when folks take the time out of their schedules to visit. :)
While Linda was baking the second pan of lasagna, I went over and visited with Carl & Linda. I kept telling them we'd get together and figured we had plenty of time. We never could quite seem to get our timing to mesh, and suddenly it's time for them to leave tomorrow.
So, it was relatively brief, but I'm glad I had some quiet time to chat with them and hear about their travels this summer. I had to get a shower and get ready for dinner, so I departed and was glad to hear they were going to join us.
Ah, at 6:30 it was time for our Italian dinner. We gathered under the tent pavilion and the dishes were put out buffet style.

There was buttery and cheesy garlic bread and lasagna,

and salads,

and spaghetti and veggies,

and Italian Cream Cake.

Since this was my "birthday" dinner, I was forced to go through the line first. :)

It didn't take long for me to get through the first plate and head back for more. I was concerned that the lasgana wouldn't hold out.
You see, lasagna is one of my favorites, but it's a hassle for Linda. So she rarely makes it. And when she does, she usually makes it for a group, so I don't get the full benefit. :)
Ah, but today we had a whole pan left and I'll get to indulge for a little while unless we freeze some of it. For anyone interested, the lasagna recipe is the first one on Linda's Main Dish Recipes page.
Then it was on to cake. Rob called it "sinful" and I know at least two of us had seconds. We don't have much of that left over. :)
You can find the recipe for the cake at the bottom of Linda's Cake, Pie, and Cobbler Recipes page.
Okay. Now, when Linda sent out the email about this dinner, she forgot to mention "no gifts or cards". Basically, I don't like there to be a fuss of any kind, and I had hoped this would be more of a social gathering than a birthday dinner.
But it wasn't and our guests decided to amuse themselves at my expense. :)
Butch & Barb gave me a bottle of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder ...

along with a poem Barb wrote. I won't recreate the poem here, but the gist is that with its use, I'll be friction-free and comfortable for our long drives down the road with the RV. Apparently, this powder is quite well known among truckers and bikers, so while it might be considered a gag gift, it also serves a very real purpose. :)
Ron & Ronni gave me a card. It says I'm almost to the age where I just start "making crap up". Good to know. :)
And then Ted presented me with two gifts and was right there with the camera to take pics so he could add his own captions.
The first was the obligatory "Depends".

So between those and the Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, I can drive for a couple days without stopping. :)
Or I can return the Depends to Walmart and get a refund. Now there's a present - getting some of Ted's cash, no easy task for sure! :)
The second gift was this combination cane and golf club that Ted made.

Everyone wanted a demonstration of the Depends and powder, but I opted to try out the cane/golf club instead.

Okay, so I was just hoping for some Italian food, and it turned into a "roast" complete with props. How do I let Linda get me into these things? :)
After we all filled up and everyone had their laughs, we called it a night. Thanks to our friends for a fun evening and the great food! :)
Since I didn't have a post-golf nap, it wasn't long before I was nodding off in the recliner. Sometime in the night before it got too late, I drowsily stumbled up to bed.
Part two of my birthday was complete. Thanks Honey! :)
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