70 Great Years!

Immediately after Taxol #7 we came home and Shermance picked up Parker, the dogs, and the birds and headed to Bastrop for Jimmie Ann's 70th birthday weekend. JAV is her beloved aunt, whom she lived with for several years of college. She's a great friend and we love to visit her.  I followed 2 hours later in my car with Logan who had just participated in his first middle school dance.  He was glowing after the event, but he was absolutely tight lipped about the event.  I did find out that there was a girl in whom he has some interest, and they danced at the same time, but not together...certainly no slow dances, yuck!  Oh how that will change, but that can wait...a long time.

The weekend was full of fun and frolicking.  Shermance's parents and brother joined us on Saturday.  Bonnie made a spectacular 3-layer chocolate cake with a chocolate date filling that was super moist and very rich! She let Logan decorate it with sparkly icing before we covered the top with 70 fire-hazzard candles.  Logan also baked some of the cookies he sold Ann as part of his band fund-raising, while Parker helped out in the kitchen for 3 meals in order to sign-off on one of his Bear requirements.  He was most tenuous while cutting up the cucumbers and tomatoes for the salad, but he did a superb job. 

The highlight of the birthday party was seeing Liliana's bright smiles before dinner and then the steak dinner at Hassler Brother's Steak House in downtown Bastrop.  Jimmie Ann was able to feast on lobster and steak.

Shermance proved that she still has her touch. She whooped us all in a game of "Hell", a speedy card game like solitaire in which you play on community cards in the middle.  It is a franetic game that I've never been good at, but I play nonethless to be a part of the action.  Shermance and her mom, Bonnie, were neck and neck, but Shermance eeked out a victory to show that chemo brain hasn't taken a hold of her yet. 

When we returned home from Bastrop Parker saw that our banana tree, which we were told would never produce bananas in this climate (due to frost), actually has a few bunches of bananas on it.  We also have managed to grow 2 watermelons as well.  Wahoo! Pics below...