La Quinta, California: Yes, Dear Reader, this little post is being typed by a woman who now has to shake her martini 70 times. The birthday celebration has been happening for quite some time, and - to keep the party going - my baby brother Steve (and Kris) flew in for a long weekend.
It just happened the very same weekend, Mac McAnally, Jimmy Buffett’s long-time bandmate was playing a little show nearby with Scotty Emerick, a long-time associate of Toby Keith. Anyway, both men (who have recently lost their collaborators) are very popular singer/songwriters. The show was at Soboba Casino & Resort in nearby San Jacinto, so we drove over, arriving about 6p for the nine o'clock show. Knowing it would be a late night, and there may be cocktails involved, we booked rooms at the hotel and were quite surprised at how nice they were. Amazing thing about this resort/casino? 100% non-smoking!
Our identical rooms were well-equipped with comfy beds, and the bathroom was huge. Maybe all the (very very many) Native American casino-resorts around SoCal are as nice as this, but we don't know because - except for taking the grandchildren bowling once at Fantasy Springs Resort -we don't go.
The four of us walked around the resort and casino before the show. Everything was really nice. We had cocktails in one bar, dinner at an Asian noodle place, then headed over to the theater for the show. Of course, there was a merchandise booth (we did not look/buy) but they had a fun photo-op situation set-up:
Then the show began. We pretty-much knew which songs Mac would sing and he did perform our favs. Back Where I Come From, Little Martha - written by Duane Allman, Down the Road, and It's My Job... plus many more. They also sang several songs Scotty wrote for Toby Keith, but I don't follow country music much (Jimmy is not country, only country-ish), so didn't know these hits.
Mac always has his
Balding Jimmy Buffett often said: Damn, that man has a head of hair. Mac, though now turning grey, is a ginger.
After his own shows, Mac always stands at the exit and greets his fans. Yes, he's hoping for sales at the merchandise booth, but Mac has a Sharpie and he knows how to use it. Mac will sign a poster, a shirt, your arm, anything you ask. We patiently waited in line and when it was my turn, I was completely flummoxed. When I finally opened my mouth, I thanked Mr. McAnally, and told him it was my 70th. Mac thought it was my 70th show, so I explained it was my 70th birthday. Oh! When I told him I was sorry for his loss, he began talking about Jimmy. How wonderful he was, how much he missed him, and how Buffett had instructed his family and band members to keep the party going... which is when I went from Photo 1 to Photo 2.
Since Jimmy said to keep the party rolling, I went directly to the roulette wheel, turned $100 into $400, and went to bed.
The rest of the weekend was spent at our house. Kris and Steve did a drive-by tour of famous celebrity homes in the area, there was a lot of pool time, brunch at our club, and a fancy birthday dinner at my favorite French restaurant in La Quinta. I can't thank Kris and Steve enough for coming all the way from Denver to see us.
And the party isn't over yet, Dear Reader. We are off in our RV Friday. Check back soon.
Until my next update, I remain, your I'm keeping the party going correspondent.
Happy Birthday 🎉🥳. Have fun ‘keeping the party going’ !!
Sounds like a good time!
Welcome to the “ golden years “
Happy Birthday 🎂
Happy bd kiddo!! Welcome to the party.