Welcome to a happy trip report documenting the big party and gathering our family organized for my mother's 90th birthday, in July of 2013.
Despite my mom's modesty and desire to avoid a fuss, we insisted on celebrating this important milestone. The fact that we were able to gather all of her children for the event is probably what made her relent: there's nothing she likes more than having all of the children home to visit!
One by one, we all made our way to our home town of Bathurst, New Brunswick.
My brother George and I arrived late on a Friday afternoon, and immediately decided to partake in one of Bathurst's culinary traditions: a visit to the "Big-D" drive-in fast-food restaurant. Not only is this one of the very few window-service drive-ins still in service in North America, the Big-D also has a uniquely flavored menu item - the so-called Dannyburger. We both ordered the standard Dannyburger combo with coleslaw and crinkle fries. Served to our car complete with a window clip-on tray. Just like when I was a kid!
Unlike the surprise aspect of my
dad's 90th birthday in 2010, we did not need to sneak around in advance of the birthday party. We spent the next day or two preparing the house with decorations, food and drink. Even the secondary downstairs fridge was filled to the brim with stuff!
The night before the birthday party, we took my Mom and Dad out to one of the nicer restaurants on New Brunswick's north shore - a small seaside restaurant called La Fine Grobe", run by a European immigrant to the Bathurst area, Georges Frachon. We had a very pleasant (although a bit long) evening looking out over the Bay of Chaleur, observing many interesting changes in light and weather. And the good food at La Fine Grobe, too, of course.
