Mom's In Love With A Sexy-genarian

My mom married my dad long before she knew of Tom Selleck but I think it is more than fair to attribute the longevity of their union to facial hair, corduroy shorts, and the Detroit Tigers.  Ever since I've known her, my mom has had what ultimately amounts to a fervent, yet extremely-chaste, crush on Thomas Magnum.

Who's my real father???

Doppelganger-status might be debatable but remove your glasses and
stand back from the computer screen - the tousled locks, crinkly-twinkly
eyes, and push-broom mustache and maybe, just maybe...

It's all in the eye of the beholder, I guess!
Anyhow, can you say that your parents are Tom Selleck and Tammy Wynette?
I didn't think so.

This past Saturday marked the 60th birthday of my dear, old dad.  People kept referring to him as a "sexagenarian" - only giving credence to my long held suspicion that we might have some Armenian heritage...

Based on the husky-framed fellow in the middle, is there any
question as to where I get my solid stature and sense of style?

Sixty is a milestone birthday for anyone; for reasons I've discussed before, it was a huge marker for my dad because honestly, he gave us plenty of opportunities to wonder if he'd make it this far.  To honor the occasion, we thought way outside the box and had a birthday party in his honor.

A tradition of "tablescapes" was established long ago in our house.
Becoming infamous for my impossible, impractical place settings,
I went with a scheme of silver, gold, white and tonal turquoise.

I love using coordinating candy; this hardcore, dollar-
store shopper found the perfect tins at the 99 Cents Store!
A gold-framed portrait of my pop was set at every place.

In fact, pictures of my dad abounded on every available surface!

To team with the theme, I made a subtly-ombre (give me a break, dividing batter
into even thirds and trying to deepen the color with each step is tricky) cake using
the family recipe for triple-decker coconut cake.

As with all of my bright ideas in baking, it tasted much better than it looked!

Learning a lesson from last year, I placed long-lasting taper candles in the cake;
it takes us a long time to get through our birthday anthems and blow out the candles!

I think we caught him mid-huff...

His dolphin-shorts days are long behind him.  He may not go to Rick's.  He may not have any cool, helicopter-piloting friends named T.C.  He may not be on the payroll of Robin Masters, or drive a Ferrari, or live in Hawaii, or capture the bad guy, or...  Alright, alright, he's no Magnum P.I.  He's better!!! 

Happy Birthday Pop!  Here's hoping we can torment you for another sixty years!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny