Birthday Thread

[MBS]

(I figured out how to post pictures finally!)
Detail from cover to collection of 65th birthday greetings, Dec. 2008
(sorry this is early -- I need to get to bed)

[Luftmensch067]

1. Nice picture, MBS!!!

Here are a few more from our marathon gluing and assembling session, this time last year:



Sorting out the cards and messages everyone sent.



Making sure the cover looked just right...



A few relevant souvenirs.



Of course cookies from here had to be included.



And it's not hard to see why! I'd never had one of these before and I did taste one -- heavenly!



The finished book and other small gifts were packed in this.

I wish I could show you all how beautiful all the cards and messages looked when they were glued onto special paper and the sender's location was written on the page and they were slipped into clear protective sleeves, but I wouldn't feel right sharing images of individual cards without the permission of the senders. It was quite an impressive volume with all of your gorgeous and special messages inside.

[blm]

5. So beautiful......

just like all of you.

[MBS]

11. thanks, luftmensch!

I too longed to share some of those beautiful cards, but also hesitated, for just the reasons you stated.
May look at my pictures again tonight, when I get back home, and see if there's something non-confidential I could add, as a late PS to this.

[ObamaKerryDem]

17. Oh that is so awesome! The little bicycles are adorable! :) Did you all make those yourselves?

The chocolate chip cookies were also a nice touch. And I'm getting hungry just looking at them! :p haha


So cool that you guys did that! :)

[MBS]

25. if memory serves, luftmensch found those on the web

and we decided to order them (they even were a cool third-world project, so good cause and all that, too!)

[wisteria]

24. Thanks for the thread and very Happy Birthday to John Kerry! n/t

[Luftmensch067]

2. And now, on to THIS year!

Happy Birthday to Senator Kerry -- thanks for inspiring us every day with your energy and dedication to doing "the people's business"!

Here are a few shots I took (with my then day-old first-ever digital camera, so forgive the quality!) of JK being inspiring in person. This was at a summer fundraising cookout for MA Dems in Lexington, MA that some of us here attended in 2006 when JK was getting ready to Take Back the Congress. This was the appearance where he took advantage of a felled tree in the hosts' backyard to deliver what he called his "stump speech"! Hope the year ahead is a good one for him personally and professionally.

[Inuca]

3. Stump speech :-)

Not that he needed the extra height. He looks extremely thin in these pictures, short and especially slacks look two sizes too large.

[blm]

6. Strikingly handsome man....

love these pics. Hadn't seen them before.

[ObamaKerryDem]

18. A "stump speech"...literally! lol

Great pics! You seem to have gotten a really good view. Thanks for sharing! :)

[beachmom]

4. Thanks for the pics, guys!

A Happy Birthday, Senator Kerry thread shall rock .... with more pics!

A walk in the garden and hundreds of cups of tea made a difference



And that tireless work was greatly appreciated by the POTUS



And a few 2008 campaign photos:













The Democratic National Convention 2008:



Don't forget the ladies:



And don't forget Senator Kerry's incredible work in Syria:



Glasses. :)



And let's honor the Boss for not playing ball with the Republican governor of New Jersey, and backing marriage equality:

[Luftmensch067]

8. Dead now, from the beauty...

:-)

I'm going to love this thread!

[BlueIris]

12. This is petty of me, but--the glasses. *Oh,* the glasses. nt

[blm]

13. not petty, at all....

in fact, I'd call that attraction.....discerning. ;)

[ObamaKerryDem]

19. Exactly. He is one hell of a good looking guy! :) hehe

[karynnj]

14. Wonderful pictures showing so many aspects of the statesman politician

Those kids and the baby are so cute there.

[karynnj]

7. My photos:

The first time I ever saw John Kerry speak in person, was in September 2005, soon after Katrina and after he made the trip to Iraq that led to his "Path Forward" speech the next month. He was there visited 5 NJ towns trying to get volunteers to support Corzine. In my Republican county, he got 500 plus people to leave their names, numbers, and email with the county Democrats. An amusing story is that he scared away the College Republicans - without even knowing it.

It was a hot day, and one woman who had arrived early, nearly fainted before John Kerry, who arrived late, started to speak. She was taken am EMT ambulance that was there in case it were needed. When Kerry arrived, the woman asked one of the EMT person if he could take her camera and get a photo. He joked he would get the Senator. The other EMTs then told her that would be very unlikely as he would have to walk through the entire crowd to do so - and that would never happen. Well, Kerry hearing of the woman, offered to go to the ambulance rather than just having his photo taken. As he strode purposely in the direction of the ambulance, the College Republicans with anti-Corzine and anti-Kerry signs were at the edge of the crowd, near the ambulance. Seeing the Senator approach and fearing that he would debate them or something - they RAN to far end of the parking lot behind the restaurant where the speech occured in an outside patio area.

Here is my best photo:
The first time I ever saw John Kerry speak in person, was in September 2005, soon after Katrina and after he made the trip to Iraq that led to his "Path Forward" speech the next month. He was there visited 5 NJ towns trying to get volunteers to support Corzine. In my Republican county, he got 500 plus people to leave their names, numbers, and email with the county Democrats. An amusing story is that he scared away the College Republicans - without even knowing it.

It was a hot day, and one woman who had arrived early, nearly fainted before John Kerry, who arrived late, started to speak. She was taken am EMT ambulance that was there in case it were needed. When Kerry arrived, the woman asked one of the EMT person if he could take her camera and get a photo. He joked he would get the Senator. The other EMTs then told her that would be very unlikely as he would have to walk through the entire crowd to do so - and that would never happen. Well, Kerry hearing of the woman, offered to go to the ambulance rather than just having his photo taken. As he strode purposely in the direction of the ambulance, the College Republicans with anti-Corzine and anti-Kerry signs were at the edge of the crowd, near the ambulance. Seeing the Senator approach and fearing that he would debate them or something - they RAN to far end of the parking lot behind the restaurant where the speech occured in an outside patio area.

Here is my best photo:


Here is the link to the photos from the woman, who met Kerry in the ambulance, who said that he was very nice and made it easy for her to speak to him and that he had a great smile when she mentioned Teresa. (Note the look of the EMT guy)



Here is one of JK and THK (with Gary Hart off to the side) immediately after the Dissent speech in April 2006.



Here is another at a B&N booksigning for the paperback release of their book.

[Luftmensch067]

9. Ooh, I'd forgotten that great story!

Love the image of him scattering College Republicans and the way you tell it! He was so sweet to take time out to make sure that woman was OK and talk to her in person. I LOVE her pictures -- if I'd seen them before, I don't remember it.

Your picture of him at the podium is the best though. Wow. This is really bringing back wonderful memories!

p.s. I'm so relieved someone took good pics at the Dissent speech because mine are horrible!

[karynnj]

10. I posted them just once before, but was concerned that I could be violating

her privacy. She never responded to my email asking her. Now, I think the local paper's story is gone, so the issue is less relevant. I love the expressions on both of their faces. Teresa looks so happy and proud - and gorgeous. JK looks happy with that speech - and he should have been.

I just cropped the Dissent speech (this is dumb - I never cropped a picture before and am now wondering why not as it is so easy, but too late to edit the post)


I also realized that in the Corzine event I had a picture of JK and Marvin, which I ignored as the lower 2/3rds of the photo was clutter. Cropping is fun!

[Luftmensch067]

16. Marvin! n/t

[ObamaKerryDem]

20. LOL@ those College Republicans!

I think they knew that if he were to debate them, they would fail. :p

Great pics! That was so considerate of him to stay with that woman who fainted like that. He really does seem like just a very nice guy. :)

Thanks for posting all your pics and experiences, guys! This thread is awesome. :D

[beachmom]

23. Ha, ha!!! I LOVE that story, and had forgotten about it.

Thing is it is easy to protest a caricature, but quite different when the caricature morphs into a tall strong human being headed in your direction!!!

Great pics and story, Karynnj.

[MH1]

15. Thanks for this thread and all the wonderful pictures and stories.

Happy Birthday, Senator Kerry!!

:party: :toast:

[ObamaKerryDem]

21. Oh and while I'm at it...lol...Happy Birthday, Senator Kerry!

Thank you for being such a strong Progressive voice in the Senate and for continuing to fight the good fight. You speak for me!

Hope you have a wonderful birthday and all the best for the year ahead!

:toast: :party:

[MonteLukast]

22. This is the first time I've seen most of these pictures

... and I love them. They really catch JK very well. Especially his beautiful hair...

That one where he's ducking inside the trailer? rail car? compartment made me laugh!

I think he looks the best when he's sitting down across from Obama. He always did look so handsome in those dark blue suits-- but more than that, he looks right in his element, doing what he was always meant to do.

The Kilvert & Forbes place is still open? Cool! I'd like to know... can you have them shipped out-of-state?
Those cookies kind of remind me of the huge cookies at Cake Crumbs in Park Hill.

And those wire bicycles... SWEET!

Happy Birthday, Senator. :party: :patriot:

[YvonneCa]

26. I'm just back from my granddaughter's birthday...

...celebration. She was *almost* born on the Senator's birthday...four years ago. :7 Sorry to be late...


Happy Birthday Senator Kerry! You continue to be my hero...and I continue to appreciate the good work you do for our country. :patriot: