The birthday concludes

Such a lovely birthday. Such a lovely weekend.

John and Barbara (my older brother and his girlfriend) are two of the most fun people I know. They were here from Thursday through Sunday, providing endless entertainment.

The girls love them. Adults who have no children and are perpetual adolescents themselves make for good playmates. Sylvia crawls up in their laps and snuggles as if she's a cat; the girls love them, and the affection seems to be mutual.

Alison was inspired by Barb's visit to pull out the Riverside Shakespeare and read; not a bad deal. Maddie delights them with her laugh.

We went to the pool, went to the Houston Museum of Fine Art (MFAH, not MIII ...) which has an impressive collection — a respectable survey of most major periods, covering everything from ancient Greece and Egypt (though why those pieces are in Houston I'm not quite sure ...) most of the Impressionists — Monet, Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Degas, Cezanne, Pisarro, etc. — Toulouse Lautrec, PIcasso, Klee, Mondrian, Chagall, Georgia O'Keeffe, Remington, Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein. A list that is by no means comprehensive. We merely skimmed the surface. The museum is free on Thursdays — lucky for us,

We went to the beach in Galveston. Downtown, the historic district, is charming, all turn of the century architecture. The water was warm and shallow, perfect for playing in the waves, which were strong enough to be fun, but not too dangerous for our crowd (though I did want to keep an eye on the girls, and I certainly wouldn't want them out there alone. We brought home much of the beach with us so as not to forget (and realized that our snow brush can be reincarnated with a new purpose: beach brush!)

Ate out (a lot), went to old town Spring (kitschy!), played my new Yahtzee game. Fun.

Fun, fun. Just a good weekend. The perfect start to a new decade.

Life begins at 40. I know it's true.