And besides, whoever saw a salmon do that winsome BAWK! thing?
My most recent chicken salad sandwich was a couple of weeks ago at Buffalo Grille. Great sandwich, and as I enjoyed it, I was entertained by a birthday party for a ten-year-old girl at two tables nearby.
At one table was the honoree with six of her friends. The girls were typically animated and chatty and giggly except for one that I dubbed Sally, who was enjoying the party but in a reserved manner. I relate to the Sallys of the world, so she was my favorite. If that group of girls had been selling Girl Scout Cookies, I would have gone to Sally for my purchase.
At the other table were Mom and Dad and a mound of gifts. As Mom was completing the installation and lighting of the ten candles, Dad had risen and was positioning himself for a perfect shot with his digital camera. Being an old still-photographer, I was pleased at the absence of the more common video camera. Mom was having fits with the candle lighting because of an air conditioning draft and Dad returned to provide a shield. Finally the moment came, and the birthday girl gave a mighty puff and the camera clicked and there was much joy.
It struck me that the occasion was little changed as I remember it from 50 years ago. The camera didn't have a flash bulb, the presents were in gift bags rather than wrapping paper and ribbons and bows, and perhaps there was a little more participation by Dad, but otherwise the parents' efforts to give the child a special memory were pretty much ageless. |
