Aunt Betty's birthday bash...

Yesterday was the birthday party. This time it was a smaller group, just Aunt Betty and her immediate family. Aunt Betty was never married but she had 10 brothers and sisters. One of those was Sam, Rick's dad. One day as a young woman she introduced her friend Thelma to her brother Jimmy. Despite the fact that next day he left for a job in the shipyards at Portland Oregon, and then world war 2 broke out and swallowed up some of his time, they eventually got married in Saint Joseph  and had 3 daughters: Carol, Rhonda and Janet. I don't think that Aunt Betty ever lacked for family company.

Aunt Thelma had her 91st birthday bash in the summer and today was Aunt Betty's turn. of course we all met up in Ron and Carol's sun room. Today it looked like this:

Meanwhile, in the kitchen all the women were busy coordinating the food and the fun...they all seem to know exactly what to do and not get into anybody else's way. They also crack jokes and talk a lot. One thing about Rick's family that is essential to know about. They love a good joke or a funny twist of a word or saying. And they do not stand on ceremony. You would probably feel really comfortable in this family, as I do.

It's hard to catch everybody all together in the kitchen because nobody seems to stand still, but here is the best I can do...

That's Rhonda on the left and Carol in the purple with her back to the camera, and Janet in the background stirring something. Aunt Betty is in the green and Aunt Thelma is to her right. That's Ron standing guard on the far right. You can't see it but just out of sight on the right is Ron's chair set in front of the TV and the TV is turned to the Missouri vs Florida football game. And yes, Missouri won which was a welcome thing here in Missouri !!

We had a fine meal, and the family took a break before desert and presents. Here's Aunt Thelma and her girls, doing what they always do (laugh):

Meanwhile, the birthday girl got serious and opened her presents and cards.

After the birthday group disbanded, Rick and I peeled off to see the Pony Express Museum. The Pony Express started in 1860 as a method of getting the mail through to California. It started in Saint Joseph and was made redundant in 1861 by the arrival of the telegraph and the train to California in 1869. Not doesn't this sound familiar?? Didn't the same thing happen in England with the canals and the railway? It is odd to me that one good invention just seems to trigger a whole lot of others that make the first one redundant...just like Blackberrys and ipads and iphones of today??

Unfortunately the Pony Express Museum was closed but we did photograph it from the outside. It is housed in the original Pony Express stables.