Whitby Free Press, WeclnesdaY. JUIY 14, 1993, Page 7 Backyardparty 1 We hung the balloons from the _patio arbour. Beside the balloons we hung the banner: Happy Birthday. Happy Eighth Birthday. It was eight years ago on Monday that my youngest daughter, Erin Kathleen, was born. At that time I wrote a column in which 1 described the event in more detail than some family members might like. But that was eight years ago. Now, here we are, some four hundred columns... mmmm, three hundred thousand words, later. Back to the party. We hung the balloons, laid out Crocodile Mile in the backyard garden, prepared seventy-five water bombs in a laundry hamper, counted hot dogs and kool aid cups and ice cream sundaes and races and prizes and old neckties for three-legged races and nailed a donkey to the fence for pinning tails to. "It would be much easier and likely cheaper," a wise person once said, "to take them aIl to the local McStyrofoam restaurant and let theni deal with the whole mess. Then they can, ust hose the room down after and everyone is happy. After one such backyard party turned into a water balloon fightin the kitchen we had sworn: Neyer again. "I just want a few friends,» Erin said. .SÃ" we supposed,»if we keep it small. Eight guests- for the eighth birthday. That couldn't be too bad, could it? The eight turned out to be six, since The Other Erin and Helen were both on vacation. So we added Monica and Kathryn. That made eight. Then both The Other Erin and Helen changed vacation plans and could make it. That made ten. But we forgot to count two nephews: David and Matthew.. That makes twelve. The math of it resem- bles a government wrestling inflation or the deficit to' the ground. No matter. We then set out to do that which as a younger a more foolish m*an I would have stubbornly labelled cheating: we planned. A minute-by-minute schedule of events, races, prizes, a mix fromn large motor skills to exciting sit-downs. Had we been so detailed with the budget SUMMER MISSIONARY CONFERENCE AT ONTARIO LADIES' COLLEGE, JULY 1913 we would have bussed the lot to the restaurant long The delegates to the conference are shown here in the dining room of the coliege. Summer before. missionary conferences were held here fron 1906 to 1968. The conference was net ail work, 'Vhat about the weather?'for it included a pienie at Corbett's Point (now Thickson's Point). Wib mie ht Remember that the planning for this event took place last week: the longest, hottest, most humid 1 ER G stretch of weather for a couple of years. Southern fo10e enedyEARS AG193Odiin f h Ontario hot humid spelîs always end with cold fronts fo teWednsdyJRyEE, 983EdiioS f h and hunerstrms Alwys.e The C'iamber of Commerce is opposing a proposai to make Whitby a city. Thoughts of ten, no twelve little people racing e The Wihitby Dunlops hockey team, which won the Worid Hockey Championship ini 1958, across the rug with kool aid cups and water balloons is pricparing for a 25th anniversary reunion in August. and musical chairs and mustard-dripping hot dogs e Durham Centre for the Developmentaliy Handicapped may not have to close. and ice cream sundaes for putting drippy chocolae on e Whitby Peacock Sports bantani lacrosse terni won the Bantam Invitational Tournament top ... . he mind boggIes. in Kitchener. and the pillars at the entrance are m puwe. 777777, m