Berger Bytes

WHAT A WEEK IT WAS!

WHAT A WEEK-END IT WAS!

FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 3, 2013.

THE BAT MITZVAH OF OUR DAUGHTER

LAUREN BRITTANY BERGER.

WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE, MY WIFE SUSAN HAD ENGINEERED A PRODUCTION WORTHY OF AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST PLANNING; BEST ARRANGEMENT AND OVERALL ARTISTIC IMPRESSION. FROM THE DINNER FOR OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS AT HILTON GARDEN INN MARKHAM ON FRIDAY NIGHT... TO THE POST-SERVICE LUNCHEON AT TEMPLE HAR ZION ON SATURDAY... THE ROWDY, EFFERVESCENT PARTY THAT NIGHT AT ON THE ROX... AND THE WARM SUNDAY BRUNCH AT OUR HOUSE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, EVERYTHING CAME OFF TO PERFECTION. WELL, ALMOST EVERYTHING. SOMEHOW, LAUREN'S BEDROOM DOOR - REMOVED AND TRANSPORTED TO ON THE ROX FOR GUESTS TO SIGN ON SATURDAY NIGHT - WAS ACCIDENTALLY POSITIONED THE OPPOSITE WAY. THEREFORE, WHEN WE PASS LAUREN'S BEDROOM NOW, WE REPEATEDLY NOTICE THE WORD "VOT LEZAM" ("MAZEL TOV" UPSIDE-DOWN). ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, WE'LL GET THE THING FIXED.

THOUGH SUSAN AND I KNEW LAUREN WOULD DO FINE, SHE AMAZED EVEN US BY NAILING HER D'VAR TORAH, TORAH-READING AND HAFTORAH ON SATURDAY. WHAT A PRO (DESPITE THAT HEAVY SIGH AND SMILE WHEN SHE FINISHED)!

OUR PRECIOUS VALENTINE: BORN FEB. 14, 2000.

NO SIMCHA IS COMPLETE WITHOUT LOVED ONES, EXTENDED FAMILIES AND A TRAIN-LOAD OF FRIENDS. SUCH INDIVIDUALS PROVIDE THE EVENT ITS SOUL. WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE, COMBINED, AT THE DINNER/LUNCHEON-PARTY/BRUNCH FESTIVITIES. SUSAN AND I WERE HONORED TO HAVE SUSAN'S PARENTS - PETER AND MAXINE STRAUS - STAYING WITH US FROM LOS ANGELES. SPENDING MUCH TIME AT OUR HOUSE, AS WELL, WAS SUSAN'S BROTHER, ANDREW STRAUS, HIS WIFE, ALLISON, AND THEIR KIDS, PAIGE, BRIAN AND MARISSA FROM MISSION VIEJO, CALIF. OTHERS ARRIVED FROM GUELPH, OTTAWA, ROCHESTER, LONG ISLAND, PITTSBURGH, WASHINGTON AND GREENFIELD, MASS. (NEAR HARTFORD). SUSAN AND I OFFER SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO TRAVELED TO BE WITH US.

WITH MY TRUSTY NIKON COOL-PIX CAMERA, I DOCUMENTED THE WEEK IN PHOTOGRAPHS. MANY ARE FEATURED HERE, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. PLEASE ENJOY THIS REVIEW OF A TRULY SPLENDID TIME IN OUR LIVES:

WEATHER THREATENED...

ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, OL' MAN WINTER PAID A VISIT, CAUSING SUSAN AND I TO SIT ON "SCHPILKES". THANKFULLY, ALL THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS MADE IT!

CALIFORNIA CONTINGENT ARRIVES...

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BROUGHT THE SURFER-DUDES TO SNOWY TORONTO. CLOCK-WISE, ABOVE, MAXINE STRAUS, PETER STRAUS, ANDREW STRAUS, BRIAN STRAUS AND LAUREN.

SORRY LAUREN... STILL TOO YOUNG.

BRIAN LOVES HIS TORONTO COUSIN, SHANE!

ALLISON STRAUS... VA VA VOOM!

ALLISON AND BRIAN.

LAP-TOP SURFING IN THE KITCHEN.

PHOTOS AND REHEARSAL

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013

TEMPLE HAR ZION

MUCH OF THE SNOW HAD MELTED AS WE ARRIVED AT TEMPLE.

WHERE LAUREN WOULD READ FROM THE TORAH TWO DAYS LATER.

GETTING SETTLED FOR PICTURES.

SHANE AND LAUREN: THE PRIDE OF OUR LIVES!

PHOTOGRAPHER ELI AMON POSITIONING SUSAN AND LAUREN.

CLAUDE HEIMEN (IN RED) METICULOUSLY CONDUCTED THE REHEARSAL.

DINNER AFTERWARD AT SHOOM-SHOOM.

OUT-OF-TOWNER'S DINNER

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013

HILTON GARDEN INN, MARKHAM, ONT.

ARRIVING (ABOVE AND BELOW) FOR DINNER HOSTED BY LINDA AND RALPH BLATT.

PETER STRAUS, BRIAN STRAUS, RICHARD MARKUS.

MAXINE EPSTEIN STANDING BETWEEN SUSAN PLATT (LEFT) AND LINDA BLATT.

MARC AND SUSAN PLATT (TOP) JOINED BY DANNY AND MAXINE EPSTEIN.

DANNY AND MAXINE EPSTEIN.

MAXINE EPSTEIN CHATS WITH SHANE BERGER.

CORI FEINER AND HER (OUR) DAD, IRVING BERGER.

LINDA AND ALLISON (TOP); MARC PLATT, RALPH BLATT, DANNY EPSTEIN.

COUSIN TAMAR FELDMAN FROM ROCHESTER: GROWING UP FAST.

COUSIN LORRAINE MARKUS-DiRIENZO AND SON DOMINICK, JOINING US FROM WASHINGTON.

BETTE FEINER AND PETER STRAUS.

THAT'S ME WITH MY NIECES, BETTE AND SKYLAR FEINER.

BETTE FEINER AND HOWARD BERGER.

RICHARD MARKUS AND SUSAN BERGER GETTING DESERT TABLE READY.

CAKE (ABOVE AND BELOW) CELEBRATING MAR. 1 BIRTHDAYS OF MAXINE STRAUS AND DAUGHTER SUSAN BERGER. WERE MY BELOVED MOTHER, SANDEE BERGER, ALIVE, HER 75th BIRTHDAY WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE SAME DAY. WE MISSED HER, AS ALWAYS.

MAXINE AND SUSAN - MOTHER AND DAUGHTER - SHARING ANOTHER BIRTHDAY.

SUSAN BERGER AND GRANDDAUGHTER BETTE FEINER.

BAT MITZVAH DAY

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

TEMPLE HAR ZION

MEETING BEFORE SERVICE WITH CANTOR TARA ABRAMS...

TEMPLE HAR ZION LIBRARY

TARA (LEFT) TAUGHT LAUREN HER HAFTORAH AND TORAH PORTIONS.

DONNING THE TALIT LAUREN MADE.

SUSAN, PETER AND MAXINE LOOK ON.

ALLISON AND ANDREW (TOP); SUSAN AND IRVING.

SATURDAY LUNCHEON

TEMPLE HAR ZION

TABLE ARRANGEMENT IN SOCIAL HALL.

SUSAN AND IRVING BERGER: LOOKING RESPLENDENT.

SHANE AND LAUREN AFTER THE SERVICE.

SUSAN, WELCOMING OUR GUESTS.

WE PACKED 'EM IN FOR THE LUNCHEON.

COUSINS: JUDY AND JEFF TOBE (IN FROM PITTSBURGH); CATHIE AND GRAHAM TOBE.

MORE COUSINS: MELISSA TOBE-LIDSKY; JACQUI AND STACEY ISON.

COUSINS GALORE: MARSHALL FINE; SUSAN PLATT; MARYLIN GOTFRID.

EVEN MORE COUSINS: SHELLY FINE, MAXINE AND DANNY EPSTEIN.

DID I SAY COUSINS? YES, I DID: JORDAN AND EVETTE ISON; DAVID GOTFRID.

AUNTS AND UNCLES - THE ROCHESTER BRIGADE: RICHARD AND JOAN; MERLE AND LARRY. ALL SMILES. WELL, ALMOST ALL.

RALPH BLATT (BECOMING JOYOUS) AND WIFE LINDA.

ELIZABETH MEDHURST AND DAVID SILVERMAN; LINDA AND RALPH BLATT.

CHOWING DOWN: IRVING BERGER (TOP) ALAN SCHWARTZ; RALPH BLATT.

RALPH BLATT; ALAN SCHWARTZ (IN MID-CHEW).

OH DAD! WE WON'T LET THIS ONE GET OUT... WILL WE?

LAUREN AND HER COUSINS TAMAR (LEFT) AND ADINA FELDMAN.

PHOTOGENIC ROBYN BLATT AND HER UN-PHOTOGENIC COUSIN.

ME, WITH ROBYN'S LITTLE MUNCHKINS: MASON AND MILA FREEDMAN.

ROBYN BLATT AND BETTE FEINER.

SHANE LOOKING DOWN AT HIS SILLY COUSIN, BRIAN STRAUS.

I HAD MY HANDS FULL WITH BRIAN AND DOMINICK.

EVENING BAT MITZVAH PARTY

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

ON THE ROX, THORNHILL, ONTARIO

THERE WAS NO SHORTAGE OF YOU KNOW WHAT.

DANIEL ROSENBERG AND TIFFANY STERN OF BOUNCE ENTERTAINMENT: GETTING READY TO ROCK THE HOUSE FOR LAUREN'S BIG PARTY.

LAUREN, PRIMPING FOR THE CAMERA.

PHOTOGRAPHER ELI AMON SHOOTING LAUREN AND SHANE.

TABLE DESIGNS...

THREE GENERATIONS: LAUREN (MIDDLE) WITH MOM SUSAN AND "BOOMA" MAXINE.

LAUREN WELCOMES HER GRANDPARENTS, SUSAN AND IRVING BERGER.

"BOOMA" SMOKING PEACE-PIPE (TOP); ELI ARRANGING LAUREN AND SUSAN.

STAR OF THE SHOW (TOP); PETER AND MAXINE (AFTER "BOOMA'S" PIPE DRAG).

OH ANDREW!

LITTLE PINK PETER-HOOD.

YES, "BOOMA'S" FEET WERE COLD.

HOWARD BERGER; SHANE BERGER (TOP); DAVID SILVERMAN... MUGGING. (OY VEY!)

ON A DIET, IRV?

PETER, MAXINE, ALLISON (PAYING ATTENTION) AND ANDREW STRAUS.

ALLISON AND ANDREW STRAUS WITH DAUGHTER PAIGE.

MY OLDEST LIFE-LONG PALS - JEFFREY SPIEGELMAN (WITH MARGARET CIBULA) TOP; DAVID SILVERMAN (WITH ELIZABETH MEDHURST).

DENTISTS ONE-TWO-THREE: RALPH WITH DAUGHTERS ALLISON (LEFT) AND ROBYN.

LAUREN AND KISSY FRIENDS CHOWING ON BREADED-CHICKEN (TOP); BETTE FEINER AND SILLY BRIAN STRAUS.

GOOD LOOKING ULTA-CUCKERS: (LEFT TO RIGHT) MARC PLATT, MAXINE EPSTEIN, LINDA BLATT, BRIAN GOLD (IN BACK) SUSAN GOLD (IN FRONT OF BRIAN), SUSAN PLATT, DANNY EPSTEIN. MAXINE, BRIAN AND SUSAN PLATT ARE SIBLINGS.

PARTY ON!!

THE DANCE FLOOR WAS TEEMING WITH FRIENDS AND RELATIVES - SOME YOUNG, SOME NOT-SO YOUNG. EVERYONE HAD A BLAST...

LEAH MADE "COCKTAILS" FOR LAUREN'S COUSINS AND FRIENDS.

CANDLE-LIGHTING...

LAUREN GETS READY (ABOVE AND BELOW) TO INVITE HER CLOSEST RELATIVES AND FRIENDS TO THE STAGE AREA FOR TRADITIONAL CANDLE-LIGHTING CEREMONY.

THERE'S NOTHING QUITE-SO SPECIAL AS GRANDPARENTS. HERE, LAUREN IS FLANKED BY IRVING AND SUSAN BERGER (LEFT); MAXINE AND PETER STRAUS (RIGHT).

AUNTS AND UNCLES FROM ROCHESTER: RICHARD MARKUS (LIGHTING CANDLE WITH WIFE JOAN BEHIND HIM); MERLE AND LARRY MARKUS.

AUNT ALLISON LIGHTS CANDLE WITH UNCLE ANDREW. "LOCAL" AUNT CORI AND UNCLE NATHAN FEINER ARE ON FAR SIDE.

LAUREN IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE SO MANY COUSINS CLOSE TO HER AGE. LEFT-TO-RIGHT: ANDREW STRAUS, BETTE FEINER, EZRA FELDMAN, NAOMI MARKUS, ADINA FELDMAN, LAUREN, JEREMY MARKUS, TAMAR FELDMAN, PAIGE STRAUS, MARISSA WILLIAMS, SKYLAR FEINER.

LAUREN'S FRIENDS... LOOK OUT!!

SUSAN AND I GAVE UP. LAUREN HAS MORE FRIENDS THAN THE POPULATION OF A SMALL AFRICAN COUNTRY. WE SIMPLY CHOSE A VENUE THAT COULD HANDLE A SWARM OF NEARLY 200 PEOPLE. HAD ALL OF LAUREN'S FRIENDS BEEN CHOSEN TO LIGHT A CANDLE, THE SIMCHA WOULDN'T HAVE ENDED BEFORE TUESDAY.

REPRESENTING THE GINORMOUS PACK OF FRIENDS WERE (LEFT-TO-RIGHT): BROOKE ASH, MADISON LEE AND HARLEE HIMELFARB.

FRIENDS... FRIENDS... AND MORE FRIENDS... SWARMING THE PLACE ON SATURDAY.

WHAT'SA MATTER, EZRA? NO NECK?

ONE SCARY SIGHT (TOP) AND ADINA FELDMAN IGNORING HER WACKY COUSIN, BRIAN, WHO COULDN'T KEEP HIS TONGUE IN ALL NIGHT.

FIRST PRIZE IN THE FLOOR-DANCING CONTEST - A REPLICA TEAM CANADA HOCKEY JERSEY FROM THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS IN VANCOUVER - WENT TO LAUREN'S COUSIN FROM ROCHESTER, JEREMY MARKUS. HE MAY HAVE TO GROW INTO IT.

PARTLY-EATEN CAKE; CHOCOLATE AND WHITE-CHOCOLATE FOUNTAINS.

BACK HOME...

TIRED BUT WIRED: COUSINS TAMAR AND ADINA JOIN LAUREN (ABOVE AND BELOW) FOR A QUICK SLEEP-OVER AFTER THE PARTY.

BRUNCH (HOSTED BY PETER AND MAXINE STRAUS)

SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

OUR HOUSE (IS A VERY VERY VERY FINE HOUSE)

ONLY AUNT CORI COULD PRODUCE SUCH A LIKENESS OF THE BAT MITZVAH GIRL. IT WILL HANG PROMINENTLY IN LAUREN'S BEDROOM.

JUICE AND WINE ON COUNTER; GRAPES AND STRAWBERRIES IN... THE SINK?!

PETER AND IRVING BEGAN THE CONVERSATION.

COUSINS AND FRIENDS: SUSAN BERGER; ROCHELLE FELDMAN.

STILL-SLEEPY SHANE WITH ZAIDA IRV AND COUSIN MARC PLATT.

BRIAN (TONGUE STILL OUT) FLANKED BY COUSINS SKYLAR AND LAUREN (TOP); EZRA FELDMAN AND SERIOUS-LOOKING SISTER, TAMAR.

LAUREN, SHANE AND COUSINS MUG: HAPPY (ABOVE); GOOFY (BELOW).

LAUREN HAD NO ISSUE BEING "ATTACKED" ON THIS DAY.

STUART MARKUS AND COUSIN-IN-LAW ALLISON STRAUS.

CORI FEINER AND COUSIN MARC PLATT FROM GREENFIELD, MASS.

YES, IT HAD BEEN A LONG NIGHT ON SATURDAY - RIGHT BRIAN AND LAUREN?

SUSAN WITH UNCLE RICH; COUSIN DOMINICK (AND DOMINICK'S SNAKE).

MY DAD - MY HERO - WITH COUSIN-IN-LAWS SUSAN PLATT (TOP) AND MAXINE EPSTEIN.

POOPED-OUT PAIGE AND MOM ALLISON (TOP); UNCLE LARRY AND "PAPA" PETER.

UNCLE LARRY CHOWING DOWN; SHANE (DOUR) AND HIS COUSIN EZRA (SMIRKY), WHO'S ON DECK. HIS BAR MITZVAH IS JUNE 1 IN ROCHESTER.

SHANE AND COUSIN TAMAR FELDMAN - BORN 2½ MONTHS APART (DECEMBER 1996 AND FEBRUARY 1997). DAMN, THEY GROW UP FAST!

MARC PLATT - WAITING FOR THE COFFEE TO PERCOLATE.

ANDREW STRAUS HAS AN AUDIENCE AT DINING-ROOM TABLE: ROCHESTER COUSINS ROCHELLE AND MARC FELDMAN.

KITCHEN TALK: MAXINE AND MERLE (TOP); MAXINE AND AUNT JOAN.

SKYLAR, SMILING/LISTENING BETWEEN COUSINS MARC AND MAXINE.

NEWLY IN LOVE AT UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH: BETTE AND CONNOR.

BULLETIN: BRIAN'S TONGUE IS IN HIS MOUTH! GOOD JOB, SHANE.

BRIAN AND HIS HAREM (ABOVE); AUNT CORI SOOTHING LAUREN.

SHANE, LAUREN AND BRIAN: ALWAYS LOVING THEIR TIME TOGETHER.

HALLWAY CHATTER (TOP); BRIAN PLAYING GO FISH.

LAUREN WAS SO THRILLED THAT HER CAMP GEORGE FRIEND - LYDIA AXELROD - CAME UP FROM ROCHESTER FOR THE BAT MITZVAH.

UNCLE NATHAN FEINER TRYING - UNSUCCESSFULLY - TO HANG LAUREN'S BEDROOM DOOR RIGHT-SIDE UP. "VOT LEZAM" EVERYBODY!

GATHERING TIME...

COUSIN STUART MARKUS - IN FROM LONG ISLAND - IS MUSICAL STAR OF THE FAMILY, FRONTING THE FOLK-ROCK HARMONY TRIO GATHERING TIME. STUART OFFERED A PERFECT CAP TO THE WEEKEND BY PLAYING GUITAR AND SINGING TOWARD END OF BRUNCH.