Central Park Track Club is our name, and surprise parties are our game (see example 1 and example 2), but this time the table was turned.  On March 16th, which is the birthday of Stuart Calderwood, a group of friends received secret instructions to assemble at his place while he was diverted elsewhere.

• Photo 01:  Until the principals arrive, there was nothing to do but sit and wait.  Here Jerome O'Shaughnessy and Toby Tanser discuss the merits of Guinness.  Jerome said, "I'll have a Guinness tomorrow night, but not tonight because I have a long run tomorrow morning."  Toby said, "I don't even like Guinness, except I'll have to oblige St. Patrick tonight."
• Photo 02:  Across the room are Sylvie Kimché and Kevin Arlyck, getting to know each other better.  Sylvie said, "Ah, you are Kevin?  Kevin Arlyck, I presume.  I've read about you on the website ..."  At which point the conversation switched into French.  From across the room, one could not hear their words, but it was not difficult to tell that they are French because of the hand gestures.  But we report that later when they switched back to English, those gestures promptly disappeared!  This has been a multicultural lesson from your favorite website.
• Photo 03:  Alternately, you can examine Stacy Creamer's trophy case.  She said, "I came back from work one day and found that Stuart had spent the day building a shrine!"
• Photo 04:  At 900pm, the doorman buzzed the intercom to alert the group that the principals were arriving.  Hush!  Silence!  And in walked Stuart Calderwood into a dining room full of people!  Surprise!  Or is it really?  Stuart said, "This is really a surprise.  I totally did not expect this.  But when I think about it now, all the little things that happened during the day begin to fit."
• Photo 05:  Then the orange (what else!?) balloons came out, courtesy of Blair Boyer.
• Photo 06:  The happiest couple to see those balloons are Lola and Manni, because they get to play.  You can even watch a (sideways) movie.  P.S.  Obviously, Lola is the one with the orange hair.  Lola rennt!
• Photo 07:  Colette Creamer lights the candle on the birthday cake.
• Photo 08:  Why is this picture pitch dark?  The candles just got blown out!
• Photo 09:  Stuart Calderwood delivers a thank-you speech, in which he reveals the reason why he (re-)joined the Central Park Track Club, a decision that he does not regret a bit now.  (Comment:  Yes, it just goes to show what people are liable to say when they have post-traumatic stress syndrome, or else this could be a manifestation of the Stockholm syndrome ...)  Actually, there is in fact more than that one reason, and one of the other reasons is the group of Central Park Track Club masters runners (present tonight were Alan Ruben, Tom Phillips, John Kenney, Noel Comess) who have won the club championship the last two years and going for 3-peat.
• Photo 10:  A close-up of the birthday cake, with the words Happy Birthday Stuart in orange (of course).
• Photo 11:  Toby Tanser's second helping of the cake ...

And then it was time to leave, for there were many races the next morning (Blair Boyer, Jerome O'Shaughnessy, Kevin Arlyck, Tom Phillips and Toby Tanser in the Spring Fling Four Miler in Central Park; Stuart Calderwood, Stacy Creamer and Sylvie Kimché at the Front Runners Track Meet at the Armory, etc).