Happy Birthday, Dad

Born at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1912, he would have been 97 today if he hadn't gone to the Cocktail Party in the Sky eleven years back. I hope he's having a big cake up there with candles and ice cream, as he always loved dessert, even though it meant extra tennis sets to work it off the next day.

I remember his delight on a rare occasion when my mother presented apple turnovers for dessert - he was truly thrilled to find one on his plate and ate it with great relish. The next night, he asked, "I don't suppose there are any more of those apple things left?" and Mom said, "Sure!" returning from the kitchen to plunk an unadorned fresh apple in front of him. Crestfallen is the only word to describe his face.

We all inherited his love for coffee ice cream. When he finished his, he'd scrape the bottom of his bowl until Mom protested that he was going to scrape off the monogram if he wasn't careful. He discovered Häagen-Dasz as soon as it was invented and never looked back.

His lifelong friend, whom we called "Uncle Sam" Silber, introduced him to Seven Layer Cake from Silber's Bakery and ever after it was his favorite dessert. He'd ask for Seven Layer Cake for any birthday when we lived within driving distance of Baltimore and, if we were lucky, Uncle Sam would bring the cake himself. The ensuing sea stories from two lifelong friends were always fun to hear.

Both Dad and Uncle Sam have gone to heaven now. I'm sure they are up there enjoying Seven Layer Cake in honor of Dad's birthday, topped with a big scoop of coffee ice cream. Happy Birthday, Dad. I miss you still.