Gunfighter is 45! Happy Birthday To Me!

I have had one of the best weekends on record!

No, Really... this weekend had it all:  History, new books, new music, an old acquaintance, travel, family, soccer, and good food.  To top it all of, I  almost had a fistfight... but the other guy was a nancyboy, and wouldn't duke it out.

My actual birthday was Saturday, but my celebration started right after work on Friday.  As soon as I picked up soccergirl from school, we met Mrs Gunfighter at home and quickly changed our clothes.  We hopped into the car and headed for Mount Vernon to take our annual "GF's birthday tour" of George Washington's home.  As usual, the tour didn't disappoint.  In case you are wondering why we return annually, considering the house is in a state of preservation and doesn't really change, Ill tell you this:  Any time you tour a place and have different guides, you are likely to hear different stories, as everyone has a favorite thing about certain places.  Well, this particular Friday, we were in for a treat, because for the first time in our experiences at Mount Vernon, one of the interpreters was playing the role of William Lee, who was Washington's personal servant/valet throughout the war of independence.

The tour of the mansion, although brief, was a lot of fun, but the real fun had yet to begin.  After our tour, it was  time to go to the book store that is part of the visitors center.  Mrs Gunfighter, that all-around swell person that I married, tends to buy me books for my birthday, and this year is no different.  While at Mount Vernon, she bought me a copy of Edward Lengel's "Glorious Struggle:  George Washington's Revolutionary War Letters".  Washington wrote nearly 140,000 pieces of correspondence during the war, Lengel gives us a selection of the best, many of which have never been published until now.

Awesome.

Lengel  is quite a writer... if you recall, you might remember that I reviewed his "George Washington:  A Military Life" a year or so ago.  I am looking forward to this latest offering, but to tell you the truth, it was a pretty near thing, as I was on the verge of getting a new history of the War of 1812.

I also decided to treat myself to another biography of an important, but frequently overlooked "founding father", Alexander Hamilton.  Poor Hamilton, a life full of promise, cut off by that ill-advised duel with Aaron Burr... who certainly hasn't been treated well by history, either.  While Mrs. GF and I were talking about books... and Paula Deen, we happened to run into a lady that we met at Mount Vernon last year... a Mrs. McCree, who is a tour guide from North Carolina (and a very sweet lady).  It was nice to talk to her again!

Our trip to Mount Vernon completed, we went home and had dinner.

Saturday, we rose to a fine morning.  A fine day for... indoor soccer!  Yes, it's MY birthday, but off we went for a scintillating hour of youth athletics.  SG's team did well, particularly well since they were playing an intact travel team... they only lost by two goals.  The problem is that while I was talking to one of the other parents from our team, SG was on the pitch doing her full-contact soccer thing.  This in itself isn't a problem, I encourage physical play... soccer is a contact sport.  Anyway, some other parent, this one a dad, apparently didn't like the fact that his kid couldn't take the heat and called my kid (this is all within earshot of Mrs GF) a "little bitch".... yes, you read that correctly. 

Mrs GF shouted at me from where she was to get my attention, and I went down to the field, where she was watching from.  When she told me what happened, and pointed out the malefactor, I tapped him on the shoulder and had... some brief words with him, the gist of which was "If you ever say anything like that about my kid, or any other kid in the field, I'm going to knock out your teeth in front of your family".   Friends, I haven't been that mad in a long time... and it was several hours before I could properly let it go.  Enough about that... but that guy doesn't know how close he came to needing emergency surgery.

So, soccer being concluded, it was time to give SG a meal, because she was perishingly hungry.  Don't boo, hiss, or tsk-tsk at me when I tell you that we headed for the McDonald's on Backlick road and had breakfast (it was only 10 AM by this time).

After eating, we did a couple of errands (and got sg some more food in the form of two slices of pizza at Wegman's... that kid can eat!), went home and changed.  We were out the door by 1 PM to head off to Fredricksburg.  Now, the original plan was to go to Mount Vernon Friday night, and head straight to Colonial Williamsburg for more history, books, and fun... but, alas, Mrs GF hurt her back earlier in the week and was only just recovering (thanks to some Pharmaceutical help), so all of the walking Williamsburg requires was out.  SG was disappointed because nobody likes to "go away" more than her.  So, we decided that Fredricksburg was "away enough" even though it is only 30 miles from home.

We went and had lunch (lunch for the two grownups) and checked in at the hotel, and then headed out for some shopping.  SG and Mrs GF went wo the hotel pool, while I went out to get a bottle of wine.  We bought more books... go figure, and a new pair of sweat pants for yours truly, before settling in for a night of TV a blogging (see my Mumbai post... I finished it in a hotel room on my birthday, exciting, right?). 

  Oh, wait, I forgot to mention presents, didn't I?  Well, you know something?  I LOVE getting presents.  I really do.  I know that it is juvenile, but hey, that's me, a 45 year old kid with guns.  Mrs GF gave me the book you see at the right:  Knights of Jerusalem: The Crusading Order of Hospitallers 1100 - 1565, which I think will be a great new history.  It also includes some history of the other military/religious orders of the Crusades.  She also gave me the first season of Terminator:  The Sarah Connor Chronicleson DVD.  From SG I got a great gift... an ergonomic handle for a snow shovel/paint roller/rake etc... which will work wonders for my even more decrepit back!

Sunday was more of the same, with a another swim for soccergirl, before checking out, and having a trip to Border's thrown in for good measure, before finally heading home.

It was an fun weekend, and busy, busy, busy...but you know what?  It's one of the best birthday's that I ever had.