Thanks for the kind birthday messages, everybody. I had a great day. Joan & I went to the Frick Collection to gaze at our favorite Vermeers, Franz Hals, and J.M.W. Turners, not to mention checking out a comprehensive display of the New Testament drawings of Domenico Tiepolo, which were completely new to me.

We spent the rest of the day prowling the upper East Side thrift shops, winding up at the Housing Works Used Book Cafe, where I scored a first edition of Wilson Follett's 1966 Modern English Usage for $6.

We ended the day at our favorite "splurge" restaurant, Henry's End, where they always make us feel special—as you can see from the presentation of my dessert, the Persian Lime Pie.