{to view the full size photographs just click on it.}
Purple is the traditional Japanese color for the 88th birthday. There are Eight Special Birthdays to the Japanese. These are at ages 3, 5, 7, 20, 60, 77, 88 and 99.
Officially mom turns 88 on March 1, 2010. But she insists she was actually born a week earlier than that. Records were not all that accurately kept back in 1922 when she was born in the town of Mayfield, CA which is now just listed as a neighborhood near the Stanford University Campus.
We are having a small party at Angelina's Italian Restaurant here in Stockton, CA.
My sister Laura has done all of the work to set up the party.
Mom has borrowed my car as her niece is staying with her for a couple of weeks and drove up from Huntington Beach in a big SUV. So they have to pick me up.
Cousin Millie is more like a younger sister to mom, since mom lived with her eldest brother Thomas {Millie's dad} from the time that mom was eight years old.
The trees are starting to bloom already
Arriving at Angelina's
Her younger sister Gladys and her husband Shin
The entrance table
The birthday cake from Red Ribbon Bake Shop is an | UBE CAKE |
| A uniquely Filipino treat, this delicate chiffon cake made of robust ube (purple yam) is covered with delectable white cream frosting and ube crumbs. |
Laura and her friend Laura {gets confusing sometimes} are the Greeters.
Millie, mom and the other Laura
The Shiraishi's have come in from the South Bay. That is son and his mother.
Mrs Muraoka and Mrs Nagata
Theresa, Joan, next door neighbor John and John's girl friend
The other Laura's husband Steve
Tomi and Dan
Mom puts on her origami necklace which includes bills totaling $88.
Fumie and Tom
Nui and Meg
Looking at a scrapbook of mom's old photos that Laura put together
Don {me}, Auntie Gladys and sister Laura
The other next door neighbors 
My brother's widow Liz and her second husband Jose. They picked up the Birthday Cake.
The entrance to the restaurant
A waitress and the restaurant owner
Mom graduated from Santa Maria {CA} High School with Yaeko in 1940
The neighbors from across the street
Eighty-eight purple cranes as a table decoration for mom
Sally and Jim are running late
Dinner will be served Family Style.
The salad
The garlic bread
The roast tri-tip
Mom has a special pasta. Linguini with Clam Sauce.
The baked chicken
The spaghetti with Pesto
The spaghetti with meat sauce
Mom does a walk around the neighborhood with Joan, who lives a few houses up the block, everyday.
Dorothy was really late
Liz husband Jose calls mom - "mom".
Liz' first husband, my younger brother Thomas passed away when Liz was 39 some 15 years ago
Judy talking to Sally
The Ube Cake was very good
Time to leave
We get home fairly early today and mom places a piece of her birthday cake at the small shrine a 仏壇 ぶつだん butsudan - Buddha's shrine (Buddha as well as the deceased parents, husband and son are being honored are called 仏様 ほとけさま hotokesama) to honor their memory.
And the dining room table at home with Birthday greetings and gifts.
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