Dean came all the way from Hilo to visit Judy and to visit us. It just so happened that his visit coincided with his birthday. Since Dean doesn't have any friends living near the house on Hybiscus , we recruited some friends for him and they joined us in this birthday celebration. And, of course, we also had the Weathersbys join us for the weekend.
Josie, Debra's older daughter, came with her husband, Gordon, and with their three daughters; Baylee, Rylie and Makiah. Tom and Ruth, Gordon's parents, also joined in the festivities.
Following lunch at Wild River Pizza, we all returned home and surprised Dean with a pool full of bright balloons, a stack of party hats and party horns, and a twelve-foot "Happy Birthday" banner strung across the overhang.
The remainder of the day unfolded with tons of food, swimming, hot tubbing, washer tossing, ping pong, guitar playing, singing and, finally, the opening of birthday presents.
Upon arriving to a surprisingly decorated back yard, Dean gets into the proper party mood with a party hat and a party horn and a partying sister.
It was determined earlier in the day that there would be a water gun "battle-of-the-brothers" in which brothers Bruce and Dean would select partners from brothers Silas and Devon. It was also determined that the losing team would be the one in which one of the partners would be the first to cry. Before I ever set foot into the pool, Dean had already declared himself the winner, having inflicted pain into the eyeball of a seven-year old and making that poor little kid cry.
It appears that the poor little kid might have gotten his revenge. 
Airborne brothers.
Debra and Judy noodle themselves around the pool.
Dean, in addition to being a talented musician, is also a skilled instrument builder and repairman. Today, he straighted the neck of my guitar, cleaned the fingerboard with a single-edge razor, and replaced the antique strings with new, melodious ones. Upon completion of the project, it felt and sounded like a new guitar.
Judy enjoys a Popsicle while Bethany enjoys her own tongue.
Judy watches Dean finish his project.
With Silas in the foreground, Judy and Dean sing and Dean plays my newly improved guitar.
Dean hands me my guitar, picks up his guitar and we sing "Jambalaya", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and a few other oldies.
Dean discovers his birthday cake.
"Happy Birthday Dean".
Cake and ice cream are served. Some of the guests include (counterclockwise, starting with Dean) Dean, Silas, Debra, Tim, Judy, Devon, Baylee and Rylie.
From another angle, guests include (facing camera, from left to right) Tom, Rylie, Makiah, Baylee, Ruth, Bethany, and Devon hidden behind Debra's head; (with backs to camera, from left to right) Dean, Silas, Debra, Judy's legs, and Josie walking away.
Dean carefully places a piece of cake into his fifty-something-year-old mouth.
After filling up on ice cream and cake, Rylie and Silas square off in a calorie-burning game of ping pong.
Devon takes on the role of 'Birthday Santa", handing birthday presents to Dean while guests watch, except for Silas and Rylie who do not watch because they have started a game of checkers.
Yeah, that's a game of checkers.
Dean opens another gift handed to him by Devon while Judy and Bethany watch. Two of the guests are still immersed in a game of checkers.
A checkerboard-view of the party shows (clockwise, starting with Dean) Dean, Devon, Naomi, Tim, Josie, Makiah, Ruth, Tom, Baylee, Ashley, Debra's legs and Judy's legs.
Debra, Judy, Bethany and Silas enjoy the party as Dean opens another present. By this time, the game of checkers has ended.
More presents, same people.
Silas and Rylie watch Dean as he reads "A Little Brother Is . . ."
The presents are all opened, the party ends, and the guests go home.
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