The Party

Daddy looked the happiest I remember in a very long time.
Thanks to everyone who came. Seems to me there were about 100 over the time of the party, but I'm open to other estimates because I was busy greeting and meeting.
Wonderful to see so many of Daddy's own friends from his work life, his social life and all of the groups he attends. Much appreciation to those who spread the word to those I didn't know.
Family drove and flew many miles to be here on a Tuesday, not the most accessible day of the week for many of you, but it was his actual birthday and I know that meant a lot! And thanks for the spouses and family members who couldn't come but sent cards, presents and other momentos. It was a real family reunion.
And special thanks to my own friends, from childhood, high school and now, who came to celebrate with me and speak to my dad just because. That was extra fun for me to have you there and make it a special party for me as well.
Finally, a great big thanks to my kids, their significant others, and the Manatee Unitarian Universalist volunteers who worked so hard in the background to do the work it takes to make a big event like this go off smooth as the two delicious cakes we had! You all are great and I have the best family ever!
You all are the best!
It was a very happy birthday, indeed.

Meet the Press

Listening to the Vin Mannix of the Bradenton Herald gave me a new insight into the same stories, and the columnist even managed to get some stories from him that I hadn't heard. My childhood friends will remember the old flashing sign that welcomed people into Bradenton before the flashy PR firms came in. It was a billboard on what's now the Bradenton Herald property across the street (west) from Manatee Memorial Hospital as one enters Bradenton driving across the Manatee Bridge (US 41). On the sign was a man in a small boat reeling in an arching fishing pole with a fine catch at the end. The lights would flash off and on, animating the fishing line and the fish at the end, making what in those days was a memorable entrance to the "friendly city." What I never knew was that my father was president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce when that sign was conceived and installed.

That's the day when amateur radio operators held court like today's animators and filmmakers, I suppose. He and his buddies came up with the idea and sold it among the business community, but the had to raise the money to pay for the electricity because the city still wouldn't pay for the extra it cost to light up the sign. So today's commercial folks have little to complain about in comparison, all things considered.

They were also the same crowd who were responsible for getting the first holiday decorations put up downtown, adding a note of cheer to city streets. That's quite a surprise to me, as I kind of thought of Daddy as quite grumpy about the holidays. Guess that's what happened after he sold the Bradenton Credit Bureau that his father founded and went to work for the US Post Office as a clerk. Those kind of holiday hours are enough to discourage anybody. No wonder my parents never complained about my getting up early on Christmas morning -- one or the other of them were just getting home from the overnight shift at the Post Office.

Those were the days.