Day 74, Year 2: Happy Long Life to Mark!
Date: Saturday, July 7, 2007
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day
Location: Savusavu, Vanua Levu

What a wonderful birthday for Mark. His brother Steve arrived early this morning. That was birthday present enough, but Steve brought a bag of goodies that we had requested and it was more like Christmas than a birthday. There was a new GPS, a new solar shower, a new toaster, and a new Olympus underwater camera–that was the birthday surprise from me to Mark. Heather did the leg work to get it to Steve. Mark was thrilled. As we walked through town today with Steve, people kept asking if Mark
and Steve were twins. They look more and more like as the years go on. Steve is younger, but his hair and beard are whiter, so some of the locals thought he was the oldest. That thrilled Mark as well.

Scot Free II and Safina arrived today, so we had a big birthday dinner on Windbird. We first went to the Yacht Club for Happy Hour and there was live Fijian music tonight. They sang Happy Birthday to Mark and I loved their rendition. It was “Happy Long Life to You” instead of “Happy Birthday to You.” I think I will sing that song with those new words from now on. There were eleven of us on Windbird for dinner–Paul and Marie of Ranger, Joe and Cindy of Maggie Drum, Donna and Gerry of Scot Free
II, Jean-Pierre and Colette of Safina, and then Mark, Steve, and myself. It was a boatful, but it was fun. We ate freshly caught dorado, lobster tail, fresh prawns, fresh green beans, a wonderful fruit salad, and fried pumpkin and eggplant. It was a feast befitting a king. So I guess Mark was King for a Day. Add to that the fact that this is the seventh day of the seventh month in the seventh year. It was a very special day.

070707 Day 74 Vanua Levu, Fiji–Steve Arrives in Savusavu