Happy Birthday, Troy (and America)!

On July 5, 2007, Troy turned 42. (He looks pretty good for being an old man, huh?) Since we both had July 4th off as a holiday from work and we needed to deliver Sisko (the Wonder Hound) to the farm for safe-keeping while we were going to be away on our next motorcycle adventure, we decided to make a day of it. We packed all of us in the car in the morning and headed to southern Indiana.

We enjoyed having some lunch with Troy's family (his mom, dad, sister Tricia and brother-in-law Dennis). His mom is a great cook and always seems to have an amazing meal just at the ready. I guess years of practice making meals for hard-working farm hands can give a woman a leg up in that department!

Troy opened his cards from his family and was quite blessed by their generosity. The card from his sister and brother-in-law caused quite a stir as Troy punched out the eyes and mouth in order to make himself look like the monkey on the front. Quite a sight, I assure you!

Later in the afternoon, we headed back to Indianapolis. Troy has some GREAT real estate in the downtown area which affords a wonderfully unobstructed view of the fireworks display that the city sets up. As the evening moved into darkness and the traffic picked up, we gracefully gathered our camp chairs and easily strode about 100 feet to a bridge near his house. From there, the view of the downtown skyline and the canal below can be quite breathtaking at times. This evening was no exception. There was a bit of a mild cloud cover and the temperature was near perfect. (I brought along a little blanket though, since I tend to get a little chilly.) People started to gather around us and as the fireworks started, we could just hear the faint strains of a radio playing music set to the colorful explosions.

It was a lovely evening and hopefully a great way to celebrate one's birthday eve. He often considers selling his house in this prime location of downtown Indianapolis. I keep hoping he'll come to his senses and realize what a blessing it really is. All the greatest things that the city has to offer are within walking distance!