2021 Life Logs, Day 120: Birthday Party for a Dear Friend
Date: Friday, April 30, 2021
Weather: Sunny, Super Windy; High 64, Low, 40 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Bill Frieswyk is the husband of Midge Frieswyk and both are members of my dining-in group. There are nine of us in that group that have been meeting for dinner most months since 2017—Midge and Bill, Jane and Bruce Wooden, Olivia and Terry White, Karen and Peter Baranowski, and me. We have all become very good friends and today was a special birthday party for Bill Frieswyk. I think it was his 77th, but don’t tell anyone that I wrote that! Bill has recently been diagnosed with a type of cancer that, as he says, is not curable. This diagnosis came after months of being in and out of the hospital and rehab. But despite all of this, he maintains such a wonderful attitude and he and Midge are fighting the good fight together. Midge invited our dining-in group, plus a few other good friends, for a short but delightful birthday gathering this afternoon. Since all of us have been fully vaccinated, we gathered inside without masks. I know. It felt very strange, but wonderful at the same time. And it was so special to see Bill enjoying the affair. He has such a great sense of humor and that added to our time together this afternoon. There were many gifts, but Terry and Olivia White’s framed collage of photos from our various gatherings over the years was an obvious hit. And Karen Baranowski baked his birthday cake, her special carrot cake with cream cheese icing that Bill loves. Midge and Bill’s sister made the most delicious Ina Garten cheese sticks. And we had a champagne toast. I was the ‘official’ photographer and documented the event for the pages of history. Happy Birthday, Bill.
