WHITE BIRD OF PARADISE
There
is something about waiting 3, what seems very long, years to celebrate a
birthday but I have always done that and looked forward to my Leap Year
celebration. Sometimes the party was elaborate, like the one I spoke of
in the last blog, while other times they were modest and most depended
on my financial condition.

(The Sandpiper is now closed.)
I
had moved back to Florida in 1979 and within a short time met Michael
and Gino. I lived around the corner from a  restaurant and bar called
the Sandpiper which had a unique bar--it was U-shaped and the complete
top, all the way around, was an aquarium! The more you drank the more
fish there seemed to be swimming under your glass. It was on Davie
Boulevard just west of 1-95 where the latter has now expanded to cover
that land.
On Feb. 29, 1980, my 11th (44th) birthday--I invited
about a dozen people I had met, since I moved down, to dinner and an
open bar at The Sandpiper. Strangely enough I can't find any pictures
from that evening though I know I have some. A blast was had by all,
plus a few picked up between the restaurant part and going to the bar,
for 7 hours--dinner, drinks and lots of fun. Wally who was in the chorus
of the  original "Oklahoma" on Broadway and Michael who was a
professional ice skater who toured with the Sonia Henjie show
entertained at the piano bar while Carmine sang the whole score from "a
Chorus Line' for me.

One
thing I must add is that though I have a birthday only once every 4
years when it does come around I celebrate for a week! As an example in
1984 I had friends like Buddy, more about him in a minute, come in from
New York City and John Connolly from St. Louis and I showed them the
town.

(At Bobby Rubino's which is now closed)
On
Feb. 28, 1984--as part of my 12th (48th) birthday--my friend Michael
threw a surprise party for me which I planned--I gave him the list of
people to invite (Tacky? Who cared!)--on his pool barbecue patio in a
beautiful home, while on the actual Leap Year Day I took all the people I
worked with at Wag's, my visitors and a couple of other guests to Bobby
Rubino's for a baby back rib dinner. After the dinner Albyn, my oldest
friend and mentor, who lost his lover of over 50 years, John, Buddy and I
hit 7 bars, at  different locations all over town, of which only one
remains in business today--and by this time I had not been drinking for 3
years.

Notes
from my diary regarding Michael's party---"Plenty of food--too much--as
expected some people who said they were coming didn't (people were rude
back in 1984, too LOL)--Bill did come---Bob took a load of
pictures--Bill gave me a 'La Cage" poster, from our New York trip, that
he had framed and that I still have, though a bit faded--had a lot of
flower arrangements and Michael had decorated his patio with balloons
that fell into the pool almost as soon as the party started--there were 4
different cakes, lots of sweets and booze!"

(That's Bill in the second picture down, Michael in the middle in the top picture on the right and Buddy on the right in the lower picture .)

(Can never have too much cake!)

(Top
picture from left to right: Emir, Michael, Bill middle pictures from
left to right Robert, Buddy, Ray, Michael and the bottom picture ?, me
and Buddy.)

I had met Buddy the year before through Bob Kingsbury when we were in
New York. Buddy was there as part of the celebration of "A Chorus Line"
becoming the longest running show on Broadway as he had played Zach, the
director, in a few productions. Buddy gave Bob and me his house seats
for the performance and it is the most exciting time I have ever spent
in the theatre! Michael Bennett had completely resatged the show with
companies from all over the world plus the original company.

Before
John returned to St. Louis and Buddy flew off to St. Thomas we went to
dinner at La Vielle Maison, which has closed, in Boca Raton--those were
the days when I still had money! LOL

As
I am typing and posting these series I am being flooded with a lot of
memories of joy but also of sadness. Buddy, John and Michael died of
AIDS while Ray, Kingsbury and Vinnie died from heart attacks. Emir
'disappeared' and I haven't seen any of the Wag's crowd for many years
but unlike many people I do have memories in 'my old age of 19'.

(Bill,
Chuck, Tommy and I went to the first Saturday matinee of the original
production in 1983 and the revival will be here in June.)

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