My father's surprise 85th birthday party

[JimHow]

We're having about forty friends and relatives, many from out of town, over to my house late Saturday afternoon for a surpise 85th birthday party for my father, I'm planning on uncorking a few bottles from the cellar. It should be quite an event, he's a very humble and shy man and will be uncomfortable about a celebration in his honor but will be thrilled to see all of our relatives and friends there, some of whom we haven't seen in a number of years. He was born on a farm with no electricity here in Lewiston, one of five children that survived childbirth born to Polish immigrants who themselves came to the United States just prior to the guns of August in 1914. He went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. In 1943, at the age of nineteen, he was drafted by the U.S. Army, sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, for boot camp, sailed from Newport News, Virginia, on a French cruiseliner as a private first class in General Mark Clark's Fifth Army, landed in the German sub infested waters of Casablanca, made his way through North Africa, departed from Oran, Algeria, across the Mediteranian to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, made his way from Napoli up to Rome, part of a generation of allies that helped to save the world. He came home and, like his father, worked in the weave room at the Libbey textile mill in Lewiston, met an amazing woman, raised three rambunctious boys, never complained, saw the country and the world change in ways unimaginable, missed all of one day of work in forty years, in order to watch his son sworn in as a lawyer at the local county courthouse. He had one week of vacation from work each year when the mill closed over the Fourth of July holiday, he never made more than ten bucks an hour. But he and my mother were rich beyond imagination in the ways that truly counted, were somehow able to provide for me and my brothers, were somehow able to find ways to fund our sports and educations and take us to the beach on weekends and a trip to Fenway every summer and were able to send me off to Cambridge to study Shakespeare and Victorian History while he worked in the hundred degree temperatures of the weave room and she toiled for small pay as a secretary at the local hospital. He fought in war but is the biggest pacifist I have ever met. He never seeks attention or honor for his service, never talks about the war, but I always like to take a minute to recognize him and the many others on holidays like this. He is one of the many quiet heroes-- we all have people in our lives like him-- who have helped get us to where we are, and I'm very happy to raise a glass or two of fine Bordeaux in his honor.

[William P]

Very nice JIm. These times are precious, so enjoy them. I wish I could say happy birthday to my dad.

I find it interesting that all of the vets of the great war I knew would not talk about the it. Even when pressed the statements are of general places and vague statements. Stuff like - ya I was in the Pacific, saw some combat. The subject was then quickly changed. It's like a little room in their souls that is locked and NEVER opened for fear what will come out.

[Michael Malinoski]

Cheers to you both, Jim. An eloquent tribute.

[Nicklasss]

Nice story Jim. Like the other, I encourage you to cheers those moment with the family/friends. In our ''going faster and faster'' World, we forgot the basics sometimes. One of my best friend's father past away not so long ago, at the age of 79-80, and my friend is gone away near montréal since a long time and was coming one time a year to see the family. When cancer hit his father, he stayed the last 3 weeks with them but even then, he realized that he did not had enought time with his father...

Have a great celebration.

Nic

[stefan]

Happy birthday to your dad, Jim. That was a very nice tribute to a real hero.

stefan

[sdr]

Beautiful and moving tribute, Jim.

~stuart

[Daytonnc]

That was lovely Jim! You brought tears to my eyes. Happy Birthday to your Father and may you have many more years to toast with him on his birthday. He is a true hero!

[Gerry M.]

Happy Birthday to your father! My dad's 91 and still going strong.

[RDD]

On today, I am especially thankful of the job he did for this country.
Truely a member of the greatest generation.

[JCNorthway]

That is a wonderful tribute, Jim - not just to a veteran, but to a wonderful person. There were a lot of people like your parents in that generation. Much of what you described of your upbringing could have been used to describe my parents who somehow managed to to raise four boys and were relatively unscathed by it all.

Enjoy the special celebration and the time you have with family.

Jon

[Blanquito]

An evocative tribute. Thanks for sharing and have a great time.

Patrick

[JimHow]

Thank you for the nice comments, I felt inspired this morning. One of the best things I garner from the members of this board is the value of family. I'll post some pictures of the event.

[Rick]

Jim
Happy Birthday to your dad and Happy Veterns Day to all Vets

Very nice story ..........I wonder sometimes how many of us that were in the military are more peaceful after than before the service

We owe so much to the veterans especially those that have been injured........impossible to pay them back

Rick

[Jay Winton]

thanks BD

[jal]

Very touching story, Jim. Congratulations to your father.

[SF Ed]

Indeed. My 80 year old father who was in the Army from 1946-1948 has no problem talking about it - he was a clerk-typist at Fort Knox. His brother, who fought in France in 1944 and stayed in the Army Reserves until he retired a general - never.

[DavidG]

Thanks for the sweet and thoughtful tribute, Jim, and to your dad and all our vets. The one time we finally got my dad to talk about some of his experiences figthing in France, I had nightmares for a month. I can't imagine what it was like living through it.

[Chasse-Spleen]

Have a great time this Saturday and happy birthday to your Dad, Jim.
-Chasse

[JimHow]

My father's birthday was actually today, even though the party is on Saturday. Tonight we had a little gathering at his house, including his grandkids Jack and Anna assisting with the candles. I uncorked a magnum of 1996 Lafon Rochet that was really in stride, with delicious St. Estephe strawberries and raspberries. It seemed very open, even though I didn't decant at all, just popped and poured. This wine is matching the expectations we had for it in its infancy. After a very awkward adolescence it has emerged into an excellent classic northern Medoc, very easy to drink now but with structure to age for decades. The fruit is oh so ripe. Beautiful pure deep ruby color. It almost seems like the further north you go in the Medoc that year the better the wines are, relatively speaking. Rating: 92 points.

[Tom In DC]

Thanks for the stirring tribute, Jim, and best wishes for a great family celebration!

[JimHow]

We had a wonderful time on Saturday evening, over 40 relatives and friends braved tropical storm remnant rains to attend the party at my house, it was a very special evening.

The wine of the evening was 1996 Lynch Bages en magnum, it was firing on all cylinders. A terrific lead pencil nose and great ripe Pauillac black currant cabernet on the palate. I hadn't had this in a while and was really surprised how much it has blossomed after being in a bit of a monolithic phase for a couple years. It was a crowd favorite. Rating: 95 points.

Not far behind were the 1998 La Fleur Petrus (95 points), a profound Pomerol that is voluptuous and chocolatey but also very classy, and a 1998 Mouton Rothschild (94 points) that was consistent with past samples, earthy, rich and inky black.

The 2001 Phelps Insignia (94 points) is rich and decadent, it just explodes in the mouth with rich ripe fruit and strong but ripe and delicious tannins.

I uncorked a 3 liter bottle of 1994 Pichon Lalande (94 points) that was muted at first, to the point that I thought it might have been corked. But with some decanting it just kept blooming into a very lovely Pauillac that was showing some very nice secondary flavors and smooth attack. Not at all tight or overly tannic or light on the fruit. I think some of these 1994s are developing quite nicely, and this was one of them.

The magnum of 1996 Leoville Poyferre (92 points) seemed a bit outclassed up against the Lynch, but it was nonetheless a strong classic example of St. Julien, although i would say it needs considerably more time than most of the other wines.

I did not get around to tasting the 2001 Leoville Las Cases, although it was getting some rave reviews from those who did.

Sadly, I was pretty palate fatigued by the time I got around to the 1998 Figeac, which I popped and poured, but it seemed closed to me.

The 2006 Clos Marsalette (90 points) is the real deal, a pleasant drinking Graves that is well made and unmistakeably Bordeaux.

We also uncorked the 2001 Rodano Chianti Classico Viacosta, as well as the 2005 Ramonet Chassange Montrachet and 2005 Ramonet Chassange Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot.

My cousin Donna and her husband John Krenicki brought along a 2000 La Couspaude which someone uncorked but my palate was gone by the end of the night when I gave it a try. If it is anything like the '98, it is going to be a beauty. (I always brag about my cousin John Krenicki every chance I get. He met my cousin Donna back as an undergrad at UConn, a smart kid from New Jersey who has risen through the ranks of General Electric and now at age 47 he is Vice Chairman at GE and is the President and CEO of GE Energy, really an incredible story, basically second in the company to Jeff Immelt. Remember his name, he's already one of the most important businessmen in the country and the sky is the limit for him!)

My father had a great time seeing all of his relatives and friends whom he grew up while living on the farm not too far from my house. It was a great tribute to a great man, made special as always by the great wines of Bordeaux!

Thanks to everyone for your kind words in this thread.

Jim

[Nicklasss]

Well done Jim. Nice birthday party. Nice pictures. Nice wine reviews. A complete successfull event! Just your cellar that is damaged a bit, with all these bottles opebed.

Nic