The Big Seven-O
As he drove his big pick-up truck around the circle at Friends Landing, the furrowed brow and tilted head said he wasn’t quite sure what he was seeing. We actually fooled him. You’d think at 70 there wouldn’t be much that could get past my brother Tom. But the fact that his son had planned a birthday picnic, and that we’d made the trip up from Portland, came as a complete surprise.
We ate chicken and potato salad and fruit salad and baked beans and chips and, of course, birthday cake. Then he opened gifts—I got him a piece of petrified wood because it’s the only thing I could find older than him. He may be the big seven-o, but he’s young at heart. He looked stupendous in his birthday crown. In all likelihood, he’ll outlive the rest of us though he’s the oldest of us five kids. One wonderful memory of the day was when my sister Berta brought out a framed picture of a watercolor he had sent us both when we were just little kids and he was stationed in Vietnam. I don’t remember it, but she had kept it all these years.
After seventy
A new season of our lives
Has only begun
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I pondered several picnics I could have written about for today’s Haibun prompt at dVerse Poets Pub, but in the end I settled on this one from last summer.
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What a thoughtful surprise for your brother’s birthday…😊
What a lovely surprise for your brother’s seventieth, Linda! I like the gift of petrified wood and the framed picture is delightful.
Oh my….thank you for bringing me into this wonderful family celebration! And what an amazing gift to regift him…I’m certain he was very touched when he saw it!
Oh, she didn’t give the painting back to him. My sister doesn’t let things like that go. She just brought it for everyone to see. 😉
Beautifully optimistic — loved the sharing of the river boat in Nam.
What a lovely surprise. This radiates love and affection. I laughed at the petrified wood older than your brother. 🙂 I hope he’s still doing well.
🙂 Yeah, I thought the petrified wood was funny, too.
I’m glad you surprised him and shared the watercolor painting!
Thanks.
What very special memories to share, heartfelt response 🙂
Thanks.
welcome
Awwee. Timeless memories.
To be young at heart at age 70 is a gift. This was a delightful read and may he enjoy his time for many more years.
Thanks!
A special picnic, indeed! I enjoyed reading this.
Thanks!
a wonderful testimony of sibling love and friendship, i was so touched by every detail in your haibun, especially the gift you picked for your brother.
I was glad he liked it, too.
I remember 70. God bless your brother.
Thanks. Sometimes it’s hard to believe I have a brother that old with me being so darn young and all. 😉
My wife’s cousin lives near San Francisco. We live in WA state, 800 miles from him. His immediate family threw him a 55th birthday picnic in a local park. We drove down over weekend, surprised him, stayed 3 hours and headed home; what joy.
Sounds like a worthwhile trip!
I like your description of Bertha and his watercolor.
Petrified wood is a great idea for a gift 🙂
He liked it!
I love the family feeling of your picnic. As we grow older, family becomes more and more important. I love the petrified wood gift, by the way! At 85, I wonder what my children might bring for me!!
The petrified wood was a great gift for another reason. My brother has spent most of his life in the logging industry. 🙂
What a special it was for you all. It was a pleasure to read about it.
It was a fun day, warm and sunny.
I do remember how we did the same with my mother-in-law (I think it was when she was 70 too). a surprise picnic with guests she didn’t know would be there… great fun.