{"id":23856,"date":"2026-01-28T01:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T08:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/?p=23856"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:21:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T00:21:02","slug":"a-birthday-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/?p=23856","title":{"rendered":"A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was going to light candles for my birthday cake, but there would be so many it would be a major fire hazard!<\/strong> At my stage of life every birthday is a big event. It’s funny how one’s mind reflects on the past and the present in times like this. I am the same person always, but with a patina of age and experience.<\/strong> I hope I have more wisdom…always my goal if not always realized.<\/strong> One thing for sure is I have less patience with the current state of national affairs. The activist in me is surfacing more and more at the moment.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please join me with as I reflect on a few photos of my early self…as well as today.<\/strong> Pictures are my very favorite birthday presents.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The dandy in me started early! I liked to dress up and hit the street with gusto!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The early cyclist.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

High school graduation. I was on the cusp of an exciting new world of college.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then I met this wonderful girl! My life would change forever!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Running track in college. I am still passionate about the sport today!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marla and I sold antique bottles at a flea market in Alameda. These were such fun times digging for them in the Mother Lode in California. Marla is in front of her beautiful GTO.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Basic training at Fort Campbell Kentucky for the National Guard.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This photo was just before driving from California to Denver to begin a new job with Wesco Fabrics.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A business trip to Milan to visit one of our important textile suppliers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At a formal neighborhood party.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A life in the wholesale decorative textiles, window coverings, and home furnishings arena.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I always reflect on family! Lisa & Ray, Paxton and his partner Johnny.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Logan and Marla.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stacy’s family in Texas.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love cycling adventures around the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With Marla, my fellow adventurer in Egypt last week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was going to light candles for my birthday cake, but there would be so many it would be a major fire hazard! At my stage of life every birthday is a big event. It’s funny how one’s mind reflects on the past and the present in times like this. I am the same person always, but with a patina of age and experience. I hope I have more wisdom…always my goal if not always realized. One thing for sure is I have less patience with the current state of national affairs. The activist in me is surfacing more and more at the moment. Please join me with as I reflect on a few photos of my early self…as well as today. Pictures are my very favorite birthday presents. The dandy in me started early! I liked to dress up and hit the street with gusto! The early cyclist. High school graduation. I was on the cusp of an exciting new world of college. And then I met this wonderful girl! My life would change forever! Running track in college. I am still passionate about the sport today! Marla and I sold antique bottles at a flea market in Alameda. These were such fun times digging for them in the Mother Lode in California. Marla is in front of her beautiful GTO. Basic training at Fort Campbell Kentucky for the National Guard. This photo was just before driving from California to Denver to begin a new job with Wesco Fabrics. A business trip to Milan to visit one of our important textile suppliers. At a formal neighborhood party. A life in the wholesale decorative textiles, window coverings, and home furnishings arena. I always reflect on family! Lisa & Ray, Paxton and his partner Johnny. Logan and Marla. Stacy’s family in Texas. I love cycling adventures around the world. With Marla, my fellow adventurer in Egypt last week. Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[394,242,452,641],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birthdays","category-family","category-hope","category-remembrance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gentryconnects.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-2025-Sienna_result.jpg?fit=469%2C625&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23856"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23884,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23856\/revisions\/23884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gentryconnects.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}