Kiraku Cake Delivered by Robot – Photo by Joyce

My birthday fell on a Saturday this year, so I thought I would celebrate by inviting the Saturday Saunterers to my home for cookies and coffee. I wrote to our leader, who (unknown to me) was finalizing plans for a December visit to Germany, so he simultaneously announced his absence for a few weeks and my offer to lead a creek hike on the 17th. I sent out a detailed map so folks could find the starting place — our normal starting place for this hike.

Notice Both Map and Field Instructions

I asked one of the hikers who comes every week to assist me — to lead a short section so that I could dash home and heat the coffee. She showed up at the start but did not even cross Fulton to start the hike. She took off by herself in a different direction and one of the hikers sprinted after her, and learned that she preferred to meet the rest of us at my house. So I had no help and the rest of the group arrived to wet chairs and cold coffee.

The rest of us being three people.

Wende, Marsha, Laura. Marsha’s husband Dave was also there

They sang happy birthday to me. I spent about $100 on food and flowers, which I gave away to my neighbors that afternoon before boarding a plane to Florida to help out my sister Mary Rose, at her request, dog-sit for her friends who were going on a cruise together.

[Note:] This is the map our leader sent a few weeks later for a hike (in the rain) that he led. His turnout was not much better.