Pappy's Birthday

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for today, not only because it was Pappy's birthday, but also because I spent so many of them with him on the mountains.

Pappy used to love to go skiing over his birthday so he could take all the guys out for dinner that night.  He called it the "Freddie Cates Memorial Dinner," so it was special in several ways.  His idea was that Freddie's gift to him of an interest in Venetia made so much money during the year that he had to try to spend it all that one evening.  And damn if he didn't try!  It got harder when the troupe got smaller, after Tom Oakley passed and Cookie stopped coming.  The best trip I remember was the last one we took, the one on which this picture was taken.  It was dinner at Aspen's famed Crystal Palace, a dinner theatre where the wait staff was also the entertainment, doing comedy skits and songs.  We all walked in and Waldo immediately waved to someone seated at a table as if he was a long lost friend--turns out they met on the airplane earlier in the week.  Next table over was a long time friend of his from Jacksonville...they finished chatting in time for us to run into my college classmate, Murray Goff, also from Jacksonville, coming down the stairs from the balcony.  Murray has never said to me in so many words, but I suspect Waldo had a bit to do with Murray's admission to Princeton.  Or maybe Murray just loved Waldo for who he was like so many other people did.  Murray: if I'm offbase on that admission thing, I apologize, no offense meant.  I'm sure my name was a help to get me in--the administration would have been nuts to pass up the chance to get another Richard L. Stockton up there--but I have no doubt Murray had to do it all on his own (or maybe with a kind word from Waldo in support).  I marvel at how easy it seemed to get into Princeton back then, as compared to how hard it is now. 

And so, another February 10th comes and goes, and I prepare yet again to head to the slopes, this time to New England.   Ah, the memories.... he would be happy.  Happy Birthday, Daddy.