What's the best birthday present? In theory, it's always being with the family. In practice, tiffs and tiredness and too much pressure have, sometimes, led to tension instead of terrific times. But the stars aligned this year.

The boy lives in Miami. The girl is in college in upstate New York. She and I are tired of the cold -- really tired. When her spring break came later than all of her friends' and coincided with my birthday, we decided to get together.

The clouds are coming in from the West just now, but the morning and early afternoon were delightful: Blue sky, very soft breezes and warmth, lovely, lovely warmth. What's even better, all of us seem to be more comfortable than I remember recently. Are we all adults? I don't want to analyze, just enjoy. Even the standard family digs: Yes, I still talk to myself -- especially when the computer won't let me update a link. But neither of them ventured to remark on my need for exercise, which was abundantly clear at the pool. We all seem to have learned the line between teasing and insulting. What a great birthday.

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