Birthdays

Cliff and I celebrated birthdays recently. His was a big deal because it was a milestone--he turned 100. So we threw a party.

I started the night before making cakes. Isaac saw me beating egg whites for the lemon chiffon cake as he was going to bed and very much let us know he wanted to try it. We said 'no,' and assumed the issue was closed.


Later that night, after Cliff and I were in bed, Cliff heard some noises in the kitchen and jumped out of bed. He found Isaac in the kitchen and put him back in bed. The next morning I found that the lemon chiffon cake had large chunks missing. It appears that Isaac's midnight wanderings were quite premeditated. Apparently he pulled the kitchen stool to the light switch, turned it on, then pulled the stool over to the kitchen counter where the cake was cooling, and helped himself.

Isaac is pictured here taste-testing the snacks before friends arrived. Perhaps we should have guessed how Isaac would spend dad's birthday party: with ice cream.

I think people had fun, Cliff and I certainly enjoyed having so many good friends come and celebrate with us, thanks!




Cliff also sweated out the beginning of his new birthday era by spending a morning at a Russian banya with some friends. The entertainment was apparently that a client of the Russian banya was having a traditional birch thrashing. They watched in sympathy as the unfortunate person yelped in sincere pain.

For my birthday, we had dinner and dessert at La Bergamont which has unparalleled desserts. Cliff and also signed us up for a private walking tour of the lower east side which emphasized local food. It started in a Jewish neighborhood, wandered through Chinatown, Little Italy, and Soho. Delicious.