Barbara Wales contacted me a month ago as she was planning a surprise 85th birthday for her husband, Robert. The ruse was she’d be escorting him to a fund raising event (which they frequent) at the beautiful, historic Saratoga Springs Picnic and Campground. There were even signs put up and greeters that all supported the cover story – heck, I almost turned around upon arriving thinking I was at the wrong place! Needless to say, Robert was completely surprised when he discovered the crowd of people at the edge of Cathedral Grove were actually over 150 of his friends! I was a little concerned about startling a man that’s been around the block so many times, but Robert was lively, enthusiastic, and a joy to meet.
Jeff Werner of Bay Area DJ rocked some classics for the crowd (real classics) and did an excellent job maintaining a natural pace as the event unfolded. One of my favorite parts of the night was the s’mores station – where young and old alike crowded around the blazing fire – many creating the marshmallow / graham cracker / chocolate combo for the very first time!
Here’s a slideshow of some of my favorite photos from the evening set to a little Glen Miller Band orchestra music. If you’d like to see the rest of the photos, visit my main website here.
