Michael's 50th Birthday

I know - it's been a long time between posts and some have reminded me of the lapse. I've been lazy and had little to say.
But, I am happy to say a bit about our November trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to celebrate Michael's 50th birthday! Though it is hard to believe it. The number 50, I mean.
Michael knew that I was going to be there for November 22 but what he didn't know was that his sister Ann and brother Rod would show up as well!

Rod, Michael and Ann at Stone Mountain

As always, you can click on any image to see a larger version.

The plan to surprise him fell together nicely with some chance events cooperating to make it near perfect. It turned out that Rod, coming from Abbotsford, was by chance on the same flight as me. And, fortunately, Ann had arranged to have this weekend off work so was able to arrange arrival in Atlanta not long after Rod and I.

When we met Michael at the baggage claim he was definitely very surprised to see Rod. In order to meet Ann we had to go to the domestic terminal so he figured out immediately that the next surprise was Ann. The surprise element was great but even more memorable was that this is the first time they have all been together!

Birthday dinner

Michael had arranged to take the week off work so we were able to have a wonderful few days together, including an excellent birthday dinner on Sunday at a restaurant with several of Michael's friends.

Ann and I went for early morning walks on the belt line (a paved "rail trail" that will ultimately circle the city) near Michael's home and in a small park area just off the belt line. As Michael was off work and Rod was still on B.C. time they were allowed to remain comfortably in their beds.

Right is a view of the park area I mentioned above.

It is a lovely quiet space with walkways all around the central pond and water features like this fountain and a couple of man made "waterfalls". In the distance, upper left, is a large building, once a large Sears and Roebuck store, now converted to an extensive indoor shopping and restaurant centre where we enjoyed a very spicy Chinese dinner Saturday evening.

 One of the mornings the pond water was very still providing some interesting reflections - as in the photo left.

On Sunday, before the dinner, we went to the High Museum of Art to see the amazing presentation of the Habsburg dynasty which was prominent in Europe for about 600 years! We took a few photos but you can get a better impression  of the museum by visiting the link above.

In addition to the Habsburg collection we visited the modern art displays, one of which was a large parabolic collection of mirrors that provided some fascinating reflections.

The one at the right I think is kind of "cool". If you look closely you can see, in the upper left, tiny images of both Rod and me. Rod's red and white jacket is reflected in the centre.

One of our outings was a drive to Stone Mountain and a climb to the top of this unusual landmark.


It is a huge granite outcropping on the outskirts of Atlanta, a bit like a large "prairie pimple" as it stands pretty much alone in an otherwise flat terrain. I don't know the exact height but I think it is about 250 meters above the
surrounding landscape and the walk to the top is about 2.5 kilometres. It was a fairly vigorous walk but we all made it to the top with only one pause and without any untoward events. It was a bit wet in spots with collections of pine needles  so there was the potential for slipping and falling but even the old man managed to avoid that possibility.

The images to the left, taken near the top,  give some perspective on the height and character of this huge rock. The photo of Rod, Michael and Ann (the first photo) was taken on the way up to the top at a level where trees were more abundant than at the top. We, wisely, chose to ride the much quicker and safer gondola to get to the bottom.

Ann had to leave Monday so we took her to the airport early afternoon and afterward Rod, Michael and I walked to the Carter Centre which is in a large park a short distance from Michael's place. It was a beautiful day so we had a fairly long walk and took a few photos. In the photo to the right Michael, though not easy to see, is walking along the path through the lovely yellow leaves.

Once again there was a pond with still water providing the opportunity for some interesting reflections. I like the effect of this one.

Close to the Carter Centre buildings we found a fish pond populated with several quite large and colourful Koi.

Monday evening Rod prepared one of his unforgettable steak dinners, with curried carrots, broccoli and Japanese sweet potatoes. Unfortunately I can't photograph taste but if I could it would be an amazing image!

Rod left on Tuesday leaving Michael and me to function on our own, which we managed quite nicely until my departure on Thursday morning. We spent some time shopping for things needed for Michael's home (a view of his main living area below left), had some fun printing photos on Michael's photo printer, did a bit of home improvement and just chilled out. On Wednesday evening we went for our now annual most enjoyable feast of sushi!

Can't imagine a better visit!