Why was The Idiot completely surprised by whom he saw on the pillow next to him when he woke up on his 75th birthday on the Mediterranean Sea in Antibes, France, on July 31, 2023?
And what did he do between sunrise and sunset as he celebrated being alive for three-quarters of a century?
Here is a small selection of the 75 photographs he took, or that were taken of him, on his birthday to partially answer some of these existential questions.
The Idiot caught the sunrise in Antibes, France, at 6:34 a.m. on July 31, his 75th birthday.
The Idiot walked into Antibes at 6:38 a.m. on Monday, July 31, 2023.
The Idiot had a pain au raisin in the Antibes market at 6:42 a.m. on July 31, his 75th birthday.
The Idiot inspected the recently created Garden of the Poets in Antibes at 7:58 a.m on July 31.
The Idiot told a seagull how he felt about turning 75 at 7:59 a.m. on July 31.
The Idiot dropped by an artist friend’s gallery near the Picasso Museum in Antibes at 9:15 a.m. on July 31.
The Idiot posed for his official 75th birthday photograph at 10:45 a.m. on July 31. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The Idiot had a birthday brunch in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The Idiot had a birthday lunch at the Maison de Bacon, which was founded in Antibes in 1948, the year The Idiot was born on July 31.
The Idiot had a birthday lunch hosted by his children Sonia and Luke, his daughter-in-law Samantha and her mother Sue at the seaside Maison de Bacon on July 31, 2023.
The Idiot kicked off his July 31 birthday lunch with oysters at Maison de Bacon.
The Idiot wasn’t shy about revealing his age during lunch at the Maison de Bacon in Antibes, France, on July 31. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The Idiot prepared to blow out the candle at his birthday lunch at the Maison de Bacon in Antibes, France. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The idiot bonded with Claude Monet at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco during the afternoon.
The Idiot refreshed himself with a treat when he returned to Antibes after a quick visit to Monaco.
The Idiot had his first 75th birthday dinner at Ferni in Antibes. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The Idiot had cod for his first birthday dinner at Ferni in Antibes, France.
The Idiot had his second birthday dinner at the Yacht Club in Cannes, France.
The Idiot, who spent twenty years walking around the Mediterranean Sea and writing “The Idiot and the Odyssey” trilogy of travel narratives about the journey, took his first dip at 75 off the Cap d’Antibes. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The Idiot climbed a tower in the Mediterranean Sea with his granddaughter, 5.8-year-old Baby Gaga, while swimming in Antibes, France, on July 31. (Photo: Sonia Stratte-McClure)
The Idiot watched the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea from the Cap d’Antibes on his 75th birthday on July 31 at 9:44 p.m.
The Idiot woke up with Oreo, his daughter Sonia’s Shih Tzu, on the pillow next to him on his 75th birthday on July 31, 2023, at 5:40 a.m.
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