Tony's surprise 40th Birthday party

Our friend Mary asked if we could help with a surprise 40th birthday party for her husband, Tony. We organized for me to take Tony 'car shopping' (so that he was kept well away from his house for a few hours) whilst Cheryl, Beth, Mary & the rest of her family set up the party. I took Tony to a couple of car dealerships (one in Missouri & one in Illinois) that specialized in just hot rods, musclecars, & classic vehicles. We had a really good time looking at all the cool cars that were for sale & deciding which one would be best parked in our respective garages, but realistically they were all out of our price range. Tony was surprised how much money '69 Camaros were being sold for since his uncle has one that he used to drag race & then put in storage for 30+ years (so it is in good condition).

When we got back to Tony's house everyone yelled 'surprise' when he walked through the door & he said that he had no idea that there was a party for him. Since Mary's brother's birthday & her son-in-law's birthday were also close to the party date it was a triple celebration. One of Tony's friends brought along a miniature cannon that used to belong to Mary's dad. This had been modified so that it could be fired, & it may have been small, but when it went off (the first of nay times) the noise shook the house. We finished off the evening outside next to a bonfire that Tony had built during the week. When it was first lit the flames were easily double the height of the house but after a while the fire had died down sufficiently so that we could all toast marshmallows & enjoy the warmth provided during the cold night.