31 and counting...

The deviously loving BaltiMarion progeny sent this out in advance of the surprise party they threw their parents on 7/7.
Word has it that a great time was had by all and that the celebrants suffered no signs of heart failure as a result of the
shock of being feted without their prior knowledge or permission.  It was incidentally a 30th anniversary party,
held 361 days late to ensure the surprise.  Well done progeny and All the Best, you two. 

A cheap Christmas thrill...

Chris Marion, seen here in this vintage holiday shot (circa 1990),

attempts to reattach a wayward pine needle.  Legend has it that he spent

 countless hours in this fruitless pursuit while his stash of carefully

 selected and purchased new toys, fresh out of their packaging, lay

 abandoned and forgotten hither and thither around the house....

Believe it.  Or not.

RJ, armed and dangerous (well, for a 4-year-old)...

Christmas, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1955

The good old days, when gun permits in the city were readily available,

and coonskin hats and ludicrous, animal-themed slippers were all the rage. 

Now that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, we'll break out the

 nostalgia once again to kick start your holiday mood...

Go BLUE! Er, Purple and Gold!

Annapolis, MD - October 22, 2011, ECU at Navy

The Current Maggie:  Now a budding trainer tending to the

 ECU Purple & Gold at a recent game, but we're not fooled...

We KNOW where her heart lies...

The Original Maggie: True Blue from Day One.

30 years of deciding what to order...

Gettysburg, PA - HackFest2004

RJ and Mary Ella scanning a menu, and showing in

this simple act, total togetherness in their thought processes;

an instinctive willingness to compromise; complete and utter

 regard for each other's likes and dislikes; and a selfless

determination to "share" (if that's what it would take). 

On this particular occasion, RJ got a martini, then a

second; Mary Ella, got a Cosmo, then a second. 

After that, they were most definitely on the same page.

Congratulations you two on your three decades of

harmonious decision-making.... 

HB, Maggie...!

The Birthday Girl herself, a minature version anyway,

exuding the signature style (more like elan) and sheer

 sense of cool that makes her T.O. & O.** 

All the Best on your Big Day, Maggie!

Fashion note:  Maggie's ensemble (clothing and accessories)

 by John Galliano.

John Galliano Himself.

**The One & Only

Another Benefit of Senior Citizenship…

JP’s HiddenHackFest Cam, 5/18/11
RJ, out celebrating 60.

Few people are aware that Medicare Part B.77.C

provides eligible seniors with a qualified nurse's
 aide-caddy on municipal golf courses on their birthday.

  This is a free service that, fortunately, RJ was able to
take full advantage of this year.

The aide’s duties include driving cart; teeing up ball;

wheeling senior up to ball; standing by to catch senior

 after he hits ball; replacing all divots; fishing ball out

 of cup; serving Metamucil, administering meds, and changing

 golfer’s Depends at the turn; washing dirty balls (sorry, golf balls

only); changing golfer’s Depends at end of round; providing
mouth-to-mouth, if needed, at any time during round (the best
part for many seniors)....

Congratulations on your new eligibility for this exciting and

little-known government program, RJ.  Most importantly: 

All the best on your Big Day.

Ahhh, the vigor of youth...

Baltimore, 1967 - Clinging tenuously to single digits on her

inexorable climb up proverbial age ladder, an earnest

Mary Ella Franz eagerly tackles the daunting challenge 

presented by no less than 9 flickering candles on her

 homemade, handcrafted chocolate birthday cake. 

A dainty, delicate girl, with notably virginal lungs and given to
fits of fainting in the midst of any spirited activity (i.e., dodgeball,
tag, red rover, checkers, walking, taking a bath, gabbing on her
 Princess Phone, blowing out candles, etc., etc.), she nevertheless
 insisted on being given this opportunity.

As her anxious family looked on -- an oxygen tank had been
 surreptitiously wheeled into position behind her chair --
she absolutely nailed it:  All 9 candles went dark.
A riotous party ensued, featuring a keg of soda, a cracker barrel
overflowing with Utz Old Bay-seasoned crab chips, and extra
 servings of cake and oyster-pecan ice cream.

Fast forward to May 12, 2011 - The real test comes tonight when
she attempts to blow out nearly 6 TIMES as many candles as are
displayed above.

 Can she do it?  Having been crushed numerous times by her on the
 free throw line at various Hackfests past, I offer this bit of advice: 
Don't bet against her.

All the Best on your Big Day, Mary Ella.