Uncle Joe's celebrated his sixtieth birthday with a really great party. I haven't had that much fun in a really long time.

The invitations were browned and aged maps. A red line marked a path from my house to my uncle's. The date and time were written at the bottom of the map. I thought they were really great. I could hardly wait!

Saturday came and I went to my uncle's house, or what appeared to be . There was a line of tiki torches in the front of my uncle's house leading up to the doorway. There was an olive drab tent set up on the front lawn. It was decorated like an archeologists base with antiques from the forties-- roll top desk, oil lamps, typewriters, all from the forties.

Uncle Joe answered the door dressed as Indiana Jones--whip and all. The decorations inside were even more spectacular. Every ten feet or so there was an Aztec mask or Indian artwork, even a couple of spears. Speakers were hidden everywhere in the house so the Indiana Jones soundtrack could be heard in every room.

The living room, which was decorated like Obi Wan's bar in "The Temple of Doom". There was no shortage of Sebastiani wine. Lots of guests were wearing forties style evening wear. They looked great. My mother was wearing a beautiful red beaded dress. Her hair and make-up were amazing--she looked like a movie star. When I told her I could have picked up a costume if I had known, she ushered me to the spare bedroom where there was a woman with several trunks full of clothes to choose from. I picked out a dress and changed in the bathroom. A stylist did my hair while a make-up artist applied my make-up. I felt so glamorous. It was like walking onto the set of an Indiana Jones movie.

Dinner was served at tables Uncle Joe set up on the patio. They were all clad in crisp white linens and set with beautiful china and elegant silverware. The first course was soup or salad and aad a choice of chicken, or steak for the main course. There was Sebastiani wine and also Champagne The food was delicious. It was a perfect meal.

A fake reporter dressed in a forties style suitwent from table to table, asking the guests crazy questions. He had a cameraman and they recording the entire evening. I took some pictures myself.

There was entertainment after dinner. A caberet style backdrop had been set up behind a rented stage and Ten showgirls danced on it while a Kate Capshaw look-alike sang "Anything Goes" like Willie Scott did in "Temple of Doom". Willie sang to my uncle, even sitting in his lap, though Aunt June didn't find it funny as we did. Hundreds of balloons fell from top of the set at the end of the number.

I took some pictures of Uncle Joe playing around with his bullwhip until June made stop before he hurt himself.

A week later, everyone recieved the video tape from the party. It had been edited to look like an old news reel of the party. I could just imagine the look on June's face everytime she watched the tape of Joe playing with that bullwhip.