At the tail end of Jake's February vacation we had a surprise birthday party to attend for Jake's Vavo (grandmother) who turned 80.
Jake's maternal side of the family is very Portuguese. As the story goes, his grandparents had tickets to go to their beloved Portugal, but the trip was cancelled because they were scheduled to fly out, none other than, September 11th, 2001. For her 80th party, the plan was to give his Vavo a little taste of Portugal.
Here are some of the details from the party.
All of Jake's aunts standing next to the Cafe.
Ethan was the security guard, and Jake's uncle and cousin were pilot and stewardess. They picked up Jake's grandparents and "flew" them to the party.
This was his Vavo and Vavo (accents not included) before their honeymoon. They brought the suitcase shown in this pictured to Little Portugal.
Our boys were roosters, the Portuguese mascot.
Jake's artistic uncle made a Time magazine with the birthday girl on the cover.
... More roosters at the "beach."
Here was the guest of honor when she arrived.
Jake's uncle, on the left, was a tour guide.
^ beach ^
Jake's cousin at the "tavern."
They had a slideshow spanning 80 years of photos.
Here are some shots from their "trip to Portugal":
Belem Tower, Lisbon
Rossio Square, Lisbon
Sao Francisco Church
Toboggan ride at Monte, Funchal
...and now back to reality.
Jake's uncle and partner, the hosts.
the chef and sous-chef
Jake's uncle (the artist, of course), sketched scenes from Portugal to hang in the windows at the "cafe."
The food was amazing: boiled octopus, beef roast, monk fish, beans, and kale.
Dessert was excellent too: a pudding, flan, and fresh strawberries. The flan was some of the only flan I've ever enjoyed!
Nick wore his Vavo's (grandfather's) clothes from way back when!
