My plan was to present you with Armand's accounts of his birthdays as written in the diaries now in my possession, 1940-1954. Well, it obviously wasn't a big deal to him until he reached his 90th and even wrote about it in his Christmas letter.
November 30, 1944.Meine birthday. No celebration beyond a scrumptious roast pork (chop) and sweet potato meal with Mary's whipped-cream-lemon-marshmallow- pineapple dessert. We spent Thanksgiving weekend (November 22-26) pleasantly, very pleasantly indeed, in Fairmont, with Saturday aft at the Lake.
And for my birthday, Geefer sent 10$ - doubly welcome in face of numerous expenditures for Xmas and M's thesis. We had to type a rough draft of each page, upper and lower sections done separately, cut out and glued on sheet of yellow paper to help M's Filippine stenographer in Extension Service, who finally did it for $25 (+$3 we paid for old large type typewriter for rough draft) +$8 to have it bound, etc., etc., etc.
November 30, 1947.Saturday morning had lower left wisdom tooth taken out, chiseled out because impacted. When I went back Monday to have it checked, got bill for $50. Says very dangerous, delicate job but it hardly hurt. Think I've been heel- hauled. Down to $18 or so.
November 30, 2004. I had big birthday plans (my 90th). To do the Grand Canyon descent one more (last?) time (no. 16, I think). Ann was to do it with me; she added her sister-in-law Carol Sue Jade, a great idea.
Well, we got to the G.C. on time, putting up at the luxurious, traditional, 100-year old El Tovar on the South Rim. The problem was five snow storms, the last one on November 28 a doozy (we know: Ann had to drive us in it, long harrowing miles from the Tusayan airport).
The trail had a considerable coating of snow and ice. I wanted to risk it (hey, I'm 90; how many more shots will I ever get?), they didn't. Two to one, they won. Ann and I will try again in June. Anyway, great ninetieth.
November 30, 1944.Meine birthday. No celebration beyond a scrumptious roast pork (chop) and sweet potato meal with Mary's whipped-cream-lemon-marshmallow- pineapple dessert. We spent Thanksgiving weekend (November 22-26) pleasantly, very pleasantly indeed, in Fairmont, with Saturday aft at the Lake.
And for my birthday, Geefer sent 10$ - doubly welcome in face of numerous expenditures for Xmas and M's thesis. We had to type a rough draft of each page, upper and lower sections done separately, cut out and glued on sheet of yellow paper to help M's Filippine stenographer in Extension Service, who finally did it for $25 (+$3 we paid for old large type typewriter for rough draft) +$8 to have it bound, etc., etc., etc.
November 30, 1947.Saturday morning had lower left wisdom tooth taken out, chiseled out because impacted. When I went back Monday to have it checked, got bill for $50. Says very dangerous, delicate job but it hardly hurt. Think I've been heel- hauled. Down to $18 or so.
November 30, 2004. I had big birthday plans (my 90th). To do the Grand Canyon descent one more (last?) time (no. 16, I think). Ann was to do it with me; she added her sister-in-law Carol Sue Jade, a great idea.
Well, we got to the G.C. on time, putting up at the luxurious, traditional, 100-year old El Tovar on the South Rim. The problem was five snow storms, the last one on November 28 a doozy (we know: Ann had to drive us in it, long harrowing miles from the Tusayan airport).
The trail had a considerable coating of snow and ice. I wanted to risk it (hey, I'm 90; how many more shots will I ever get?), they didn't. Two to one, they won. Ann and I will try again in June. Anyway, great ninetieth.
Photo: Martin Isaac