I’ve always heard that it’s not polite to ask a lady her age, even on her birthday. Janet has never been shy when celebrating her decade birthdays, though. On her 40th and 50th she prepared large spreads of food to entertain family and friends at an all day open house. That was great when we lived in a house and she had time and energy to cook. We live in an apartment now, and the time and energy are pretty spent. Knowing it was a big one, I didn’t want this year to go by without doing something special. Our friend Pam got right into the spirit of helping me plan the event. I have to say it was a perfect day that totally fit into our lifestyle of experiencing all that New England has to offer.

Janet loves French food. She loves to cook it and she loves to eat it. She also loves French wines. Pam and I tossed around a few ideas and landed on LaBelle winery in Amherst, NH. I quickly found that they offer tours of the winery accented by a tasting of six of their popular wines. I booked a tour/tasting and arranged for six of our closest friends to join us for a day of merriment.

The day couldn’t have been any better. Our guide was a former school teacher so she instantly connected with our group since most of us work(ed) in education. I think she enjoyed our group as much as we enjoyed her narrative. We saw the vineyards and the vats and barreling facilities as well as the event rooms all while enjoying tastes of the locally produced vintages. After the tour we ate a scrumptous meal in the outdoor bistro and opened presents. As the sun began to set, we bid our friends goodbye but not before waiting for the bridal procession of a wedding in the vineyard. A beautiful way to end the day.

One of my presents was a reservation for a cooking class at the anchor restaurant in our development. I thought it would be fun for us to learn how to make mozzarella cheese. The following Sunday we took a leisurely stroll over to the Tuscan Kitchen and were pleased to find we were the only ones in the half-hour session. The chef was the culinary director for the brand and he had lots to share with us as we learned the amazingly easy process of making fresh mozzarella. I always like to think I pick good presents, but I think this one was a real homerun! We got to take our balls of mozzarella with us and the chef even gave his to us as well. That afternoon we shared it at our niece’s birthday party and was a real hit.

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Janet’s birthday was certainly a success and one she won’t forget in a long time. Good friends, good food, and great experiences make for memorable occasions. I’m so glad I have 10 years to think of how to top that.