Just a thought… The most important discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. [Elisabeth Foley]

Oh my gosh, what a weekend!

It almost killed me to keep it a secret (especially from you here as well as on Facebook, Threads and Insta) but on Saturday night in Ajax, Ontario, a very special man in my life was being celebrated and I was invited to be a part of it.

Ian “The General” MacArthur, producer, mainstay, backbone (and often funnybone) of the CHFI Morning Show for 30 years, hit a milestone, turning 60 years old. Now, there are about three people in this world for whom I’d get on a plane and fly halfway across Canada when I still was sounding like a raspy saw, but Ian is definitely one of them. Here’s how the weekend surprise unfolded.

Ian’s wife Anita sent out an email saying she was planning a small dinner surprise for him at The Keg in Ajax; if I was coming for Easter with the kids, could I join? Well, Rob and I had no plans to come east yet, having just returned from Mexico, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to hug Ian in person and reconnect with longtime radio buddies.

Even Gord Rennie, who’s now operations manager and morning show producer at Talk 640, came and I was reunited with The Wise Guys once more.

A lovely dinner was followed by a party back at the MacArthurs’ where we had cake, lots of great conversation with friends (including former CHFI producer Greg MacDonald, standing between Ian and Gord in the photo above) and family, and got caught up on months and, in many cases, years. I did a video with Mike that I’ll post when I get some time, but today I’m in OTTAWA visiting with our grandkids Colin and Jane and their parents!

Yes, a perfect weekend was shared with the best of friends: from Saturday’s party to Mike driving me to Phil and Brooke’s home near Ottawa yesterday. And here I’ll be until before sunrise on Thursday when my plane takes me home.

Thanks for coming along and, for now, I’d better rest this raspy throat of mine.