My husband recently celebrated his 75th birthday, and we did it up right, stretching the acknowledgement of those years over several days and events.

We knew we wanted to include longtime friends in the festivities, and that meant planning a party in the Portland area, where we began our married life together and the couples we have been gathering and wine tasting with for 45 years live. Also on the list were Harry’s only sibling, John, and his wife, Barbara, who flew in for the weekend from Dallas. And the occasion wouldn’t have been complete without two couples we met when we lived in Wenatchee in North Central Washington and who have been steadfast friends and travel and winetasting companions for more than 20 years. We were blessed that they traveled such a long way in wintry weather to join us.

Harry’s first blow-out-the-candle moment came at brunch the morning of the big bash, as we met friends Paul and Julie (with whom we’ve shared cruises and an epic road trip in Spain and Portugal) at La Provence. This French boulangerie/patisserie/bistro started off several years ago in one location and quickly became famous for its fabulous pastries and light fare. It now boasts nearly a dozen locations in the Portland area, and we were eager to share the experience with our friends and have the chance to catch up. At the end of our very satisfying meal, our server brought a lovely raspberry pavlova (they had noticed the wrapped gift Paul and Julie had brought for Harry) with a candle on top, an example of the kind of attentive, understated service we enjoyed throughout our meal.

The party that evening was hosted by dear, generous friends John and Debbie in their beautiful home high in Portland’s West Hills. The house was festively decorated for the holiday season, and it quickly filled with our friends and laughter. We made it easy on ourselves and had Eat Your Heart Out catering provide a wonderful array of hors d’oeuvres, every one a hit (although I believe everyone’s favorite was the stuffed mushrooms). Of course, Harry provided the wines from our over-full cellar;   thankfully, we didn’t open every bottle we brought. Harry likes to be prepared in case there’s a “bad” bottle or two in the bunch. We wrapped up that most delightful evening with a port and dessert wines and dessert, provided by Papa Haydn, a longtime Portland restaurant that makes the most decadent, delicious desserts you’ll ever taste. The triple chocolate layer cake was countered by a smaller, light lemon chiffon cake, and we shared leftovers and enjoyed them days later. We also snapped several shots of the gang, and we look forward to popping one in the lovely frame Harry was gifted by the group.

A few days later, back at home on Harry’s actual birthday, we had a quiet family celebration with older daughter Sarah’s family, repurposing that chocolate cake for another round of “Happy Birthday to You.” But we weren’t done quite yet! At the end of the week, Harry and I made our way to one of our favorite local restaurants, Gogi’s, in nearby Jacksonville, to have a quiet celebratory dinner.

We’ve been coming to Gogi’s for about 15 years, and the staff know us quite well by now. We always share a taste of whatever bottle of wine we’ve brought with our server and the chef, and the service and welcome we receive is always warm and genuine. Dinner at Gogi’s always begins with a complimentary amuse bouche — that night it was a seasoned crostini with a dollop of white bean hummus — and warm, housemade bread and a basil pistou. Harry ordered a bowl of the day’s soup, a potato chowder that was thick and savory, while I dug into a refreshing spinach and pear (poached with just a hint of cinnamon) salad sprinkled with candied walnuts, lemon ricotta and a red wine vinaigrette. So as to save room for dessert (it was a birthday celebration, after all), we shared a plate of Parmesan-roasted Brussels sprouts and an entrée of black garlic and miso-glazed salmon. The bottle of Colene Clemens 2017 Pinot Noir “Margo” from Chehalem Mountain, Oregon, paired beautifully with the moist, perfectly cooked salmon, which sat on a bed of creamy whipped ginger-mirin yam and was surrounded by a medley of roasted mushrooms and topped with baby bok choy. Such a beautiful presentation! The Brussels sprouts were also uniquely presented, not whole in a bowl but quartered and then combined with olive oil and pine nuts and topped with a crispy Parmesan disc and house-cured pancetta.

We found everything delicious and of a just-right size to make room for dessert . . . a flourless lemon berry tart for me  and a vanilla bean crème brûlée for the birthday boy, complete with candle. We sipped a glass of a 2012 late harvest Chardonnay  from Stephen & Walker in Sonoma, left over from the party, a perfect accompaniment with both.  We savored a couple of golden macarons, delivered with our check, and you can be sure we will treasure the memories of Harry’s milestone birthday throughout the coming year.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor