Well, it wasn't really Sylvia's birthday yet when we had the ice cream IMG_0798 IMG_0799 to begin the celebration.

Next day, we went to Seva;s and saw the pretty flowers IMG_0800 that the grandmothers had sent. Seva served this nice platter IMG_0801 and told us not to eat the rocks IMG_0802 as the women chatted IMG_0803 and Jane, IMG_0804 Suzanne, IMG_0805 Dan IMG_0806 IMG_0808 Benjamin (with his trusty baseball game) IMG_0807 Sarah IMG_0809 Peter IMG_0810 IMG_0812 and Sara IMG_0811 were assembled and ready to eat.

We started with the soup course IMG_0813 and then had the green veggies IMG_0816 the crepes IMG_0817 and the salad that had chicken in it IMG_0818 with bread IMG_0819 and sauce IMG_0820 which made for a nice table IMG_0821 which made Milt and Jane happy IMG_0822 as Peter made his point IMG_0823 and Sarah and Lizzie had a discussion IMG_0824 that amused Suzanne IMG_0825 as I filled my plate IMG_0826 and observed what the meat eater next to me was eating IMG_0827 as the people gathered around the main table IMG_0828 with Dan IMG_0829 sitting opposite me at my table as I tried to figure out the white balance so that pictures of Peter's business card would not look like this IMG_0830 IMG_0831

I made the clean plate club IMG_0832 which drove the discussion at the other table IMG_0833 IMG_0834 IMG_0835 as Benjamin posed IMG_0836 IMG_0837 and Norma joined him IMG_0838 while Sarah was amused IMG_0839 by the delivery IMG_0840 and arrival of the cake IMG_0841 IMG_0842 IMG_0843 with the right number of candles (mod 80) which made blowing them out IMG_0844 easier so that Sylvia's present IMG_0845 could be delivered, the card read IMG_0846 and the present opened IMG_0847 as the young'uns IMG_0848 chatted away at the other table and Norma gave Sylvia a gift IMG_0849 while Sara and Suzanne speculated about it IMG_0850 and Sylvia opened it in a way IMG_0851 that took off Sara's head IMG_0852 and made my first picture no better for white balance IMG_0853 so I moved it to the edge of the while IMG_0854 and then onto the black IMG_0855 where the picture got better until I tried to open it IMG_0856 and then the color balance problems returned.

Sarah tediously opened IMG_0857 IMG_0858 her gift and then read the card IMG_0859 IMG_0860 before taking it out of the box IMG_0861 opening it IMG_0862 and modeling it IMG_0863 for all to see IMG_0864 until the cake was cut IMG_0865 and Benjamin IMG_0866 said good night to Peter's badge. IMG_0867

For your thoughtful inspiration, Jane dutifully recorded this MVI_0815.AVI short video of a discussion about whether the past, the present and the future were abstract concepts or pieces of a number line that could be traversed at any rate during any time. For example, if the present is an ever moving point on the number line, does living in the past just mean that your present occurs at a different time than mine?