Happy B-Day Daveyboi

Now that most of my friends have already been married (in some cases, more than one), most of the big social gatherings that I attend are no longer weddings. It seems that the party of our times has become the 50th birthday party.

No one may want to admit that they've hit the Big Five-O, but it seems to be one of those milestones in one's life where a party of some sort must be held - whether you want to or not.

Not wanting an "it's all about me" kind of party wasn't an issue for Daveyboi. Rather, this was the perfect opportunity to show that he could still party like he's a spritely 29 (OK, maybe 37 is more realistic). Daveyboi has been a great part of my and Boo's lives over the last so many years - particularly on the "big laugh" front. So we thought we'd offer up our back yard for his shindig. Being a West End kind of guy made it a tad difficult for him to host more than a handful of friends in his apartment.

Despite the stress of putting it all together, Daveyboi was in his glory mixing with family and friends - many of whom had travelled big miles to be there, including Australia, Ireland, California and Canada (Toronto, Calgary & Saskatoon). I'd often seen his family members (of which there are many) at special events - particularly Irish coffees with his Mom on Christmas Eve - and seen the party gang at, well, parties over the years. But, the two sides of his life didn't usually see this much crossover.

Despite rain through the week and even the morning of, the weather was pretty cooperative. We even had some sun breaking through on occasion. That is, except for the brief downpour when we all got to laugh about how many gay guys it takes to set up a tent/awning. Sprucing up the garden was done in a flash, but assembling a tent for the first time? Priceless. Although to be fair, the straight relatives weren't all that much help either. Me, I just went inside for a drink.

Which brings me to the real point of this post - what wines did Daveyboi choose to serve at the shindig?

184. 2006 White Truck Pinot Grigio (California)

185. 2008 Hardy's Stamp of Australia Riesling/ Gewurztraminer (South Eastern Australia)

186. 2007 Bodega Nuviana Tempranillo/ Cabernet Sauvignon (Spain)

187. 2007 Montalto Sicilia Nero D'Avola/Cabernet Sauvignon (IGT Sicily - Italy)

I was surprised by the Hardy's and the Spanish Nuviana was very popular among the guests. I barely got around to trying it and it was all gone shortly thereafter. Mind you, all the wine, not to mention the vodka, was had been drained by the end of the evening when Boo finally just ordered a batch of cabs and advised the stragglers that their rides were waiting outside.

We're being kind with the accompanying pictures. There were at least a couple of doozies by the time the blow-up kangaroo arrived on scene and the song and dance sing-along to the Hairspray DVD broke out. Mama Mia and ABBA didn't have the same draw, but Good Morning Baltimore and You Can't Stop The Beat have apparently joined the gay lexicon of classics.

Considering Daveyboi had to catch an overseas flight the next day, I hope his recovery powers were those of a 29 year old. It was a super night!