Marking 50 Years

My only bird watching over this past weekend has been incidental--glances at birds squeezed in between chores, errands, and wile being generally otherwise occupied. The light and weather have not been good for digiscoping, so no new bird pix to share here today, though I hope ND will end the digiscoping drought.

These days, with kids going off in all directions and parents equally busy, our family almost never celebrates important dates on the actual dates. Instead we find a Sunday that's as close as possible to the date and make that the celebration day. Yesterday the Thompson family celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Tomorrow (June 6, 2006) is their actual anniversary, but yesterday was the Sunday we could all gather.

June 6, 1956. I love how they are perfectly in step as they leave the church.

It was a two-part celebration. The first part was a reception after church at St. Luke's Lutheran, where 50 years ago, William H. Thompson, Jr. and Elsa Anne Ekenstierna were wed. My sister Laura and sister-in-law Jade did all the arrangements and food for this fab shindig (the rest of us served as support crew) then we sat back and watched 100 hungry Lutherans foraging. Have you ever witnessed a meal in a Lutheran church basement? Well, you haven't lived until you have.... However there were no sheet-pan desserts at this gathering, just a giant, delicious white cake, which the still-happy couple ceremoniously cut.

Hungry Lutherans at yesterday's reception.

Later the Thompsons gathered at my parents' house for more celebration (we were also celebrating the birthdays of two nephews, Jake and Nat). Had the weather cooperated we would have had this party at our farm, but the rain and hail kept things in town.

At one point, as I was tying his shoe for him, Jake, who turned 6 yesterday, said to me:
"You know Uncle Billy, I notice that you're going a little bald up here and here and here. Not like Pop Pop [my dad], it's too late for THAT poor guy. There are these creams that you can put on your head and in like two weeks you'll have hair there."

Jake tried out his Hair Club for Uncles pitch on me.

I thanked Jake and re-tied his shoelaces so that the two shoes were tied together.

It was a good day, busy as all get-out, but good. Highlighted by Julie's return from her weekend program in northeastern Ohio, where a gang from the OOS gathered at Holden Arboretum.

Much love, admiration, and joyful congratulations to Bill and Elsa for this incredible marital milestone. I'm looking forward to hanging out with them in North Dakota next week.

Making beautiful music together since 1956!