Today is Sunday, June 16, 2024, Father”s Day. I was absent here yesterday because of my attending a 60th-birthday party for my friend “Seth” at a banquet hall in the Bronx, the Silver Beach Civic Center, which was located in the Throgs Neck part of the borough. This was a hidden gem to be discovered by both Elliot and I. In fact, when we got to the parking lot of this party location, it was still a little early, so we took a walk down the block where we passed many attractive houses and tree-lined streets. We eventually came to the end of the block that was bounded by the Long Island Sound with views of the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Whitestone Bridge. There were people bathing in a small inlet even. We saw a couple walking two dogs and we asked the gentleman what neighborhood was this, and he said, “Throgs Neck.”

Anyway, the party itself was quite a blast. I can’t believe how there were 80 people there, but many of the guests either were members of Seth’s extended family and some were members of Seth’s church in the city. When we entered the hall, we were asked to find our name tags and where we were sitting. You see, all of the tables had a Broadway theme, and we were placed at the Wicked table. Outside, there was a Broadway-themed mural in which we were asked to take pictures with our significant others by the lead photographer, a blonde woman with a tattoo on her arm.

All in all, the evening was noted for the amount of old-fashioned music, basically, that was blasted by the bearded DJ; most of the music came out of my era, which was the 70s. Since Seth is Greek-American, there were musical nods to his Greek heritage. There was even the Electric Slide tossed in for good measure.

The food served was buffet style. So there were various pastas, chicken, salad, and meatballs. There was also a mint lemonade and punch offered at one table. Soda and beer were also on tap.

The only quibble I had with the proceedings was the benediction offered by Seth’s pastor at the beginning of the festivities. I thought that was an awkward moment for those not Greek Orthodox Catholic in the room.

That blessing notwithstanding, Elliot and I still enjoyed ourselves for the most part. I would say that we stayed about three hours and fifteen minutes, so by 9:15 we started saying our good-byes. The cake was quite unique: there was a lighted sign on top of the cake with words to the effect that “‘Seth’ Welcomes you to Opening Night to Celebrate his 60th Birthday.” Under that was a turntable with posters from various plays that Seth has obviously seen since he’s such a Broadway fanatic. That turntable sat on top of the cake which was in the form of a red curtain. Very creative, to say the least. The cake actually tasted good too.

Anyway, it’s getting late here. Elliot and I were riveted by a taping of the old British series Midsomer Murders, but for the first time, the second episode ended abruptly before the murderer and the reason for the random murders that took place in a sleepy village called Goodmans Lane or something to that effect was exposed. This has happened before with this series, and I can’t understand why. It’s never happened with other programs I’ve taped, so now I’m seriously considering canceling the series because of this malfunction. I wonder if I can somehow see this episode, which I think is from 2000 or 2001, on YouTube or some place like that. It’s very infuriating.

Today we had a nice Father’s Day in that we were invited to a barbecue at Elliot’s former neighbors “Mary” and “Joseph” at 4. My son called me after 12 to wish me a happy Father’s Day. He had very sad news to impart: his 95-year-old grandmother fell from a chair in her nursing home and was taken to a hospital. So he might have to fly home in case things take a bad turn. I intended to visit him in Florida after Thursday of this week when Elliot and I fly down there to visit several sets of cousins in Boynton Beach and Margate. Now we’ll have to see what happens.

Have a good week. It’s going to be a scorcher toward the middle of the week, from what I’ve heard.

Stay safe and be well.

Here is our Wicked table. The circle of black toiletry bags constituted the favors given to everyone. Inside were travel-size items you would take on a trip like toothpaste, conditioning shampoo, safety razors, toothbrush, and deodorant soap.

Here is Seth’s cake; isn’t it grand?