My eighty-eighth birthday in Newport Beach, California

06.03.2018 - 10.03.2018 22 °C

The idea of getting my western family together began with a suggestion from my daughter Melinda. It went something like this...
"Dad you're going to be 88, you live at 888 Beach Avenue, it's 2018 and you were born on March 8th". About a third of Vancouver's population is Chinese or of Chinese descent and the number eight is considered by them to be very lucky. So I was happy to go along with the idea. Melinda organized everything starting with the flights from Quesnel, where she lives, and from Vancouver to Santa Ana and then the airport shuttle from there to our home away from home on the oceanfront walk in Newport Beach. And being such a pro everything went like clockwork. Some thanks also go to Jim and Wayne who did stellar work in the kitchen.

The gathering included Melinda's husband Wayne, their daughter Andrea and her two daughters Makenzie and Erika from Quesnel and my oldest daughter Heather and her husband Jim as well as Melinda and Wayne's son Michael with his partner Krissy and me from Vancouver. Also we were joined by my cousin Robert and his wife Charlene from Oceanside, California on March 8th.

The weather cooperated with a mix of sun and clouds. The more daring of us swam and we all walked, talked, ate and drank. And we saw a whale as well as dolphins and seals from the pier near our place. That was thrilling for the kids and the kids in us. We rode on the ferris wheel.....they brag it's the longest ride in the world and it might be my age. Whatever, it was a truly wonderful time and I think we all felt it was special.