Succulent Flower

The oleander just on the other side of our fire garden fence is thriving and blooming so beautifully that I'm almost beginning to like them. There's not much else blooming in the garden now, thanks to the spasms of heat we continue to experience, mitigated somewhat by a few fairly moderate days in between. Even the alliums and the salvias are begging to fade although they are still home to lots of bees. It's interesting that the honey bees like the alliums and the bumblebees favor the salvias.
This succulent blossom is on its last legs as well but in another minimalist shot, I liked the way it lined up with the boards on the side of the house where it is growing.

Our day got off to a great start at Cafe Frida where our usual group was joined by Ruta and family. (extra) I was pleased that they made it because they are not early risers, and keep  up quite a pace during the day. They are coexisting nicely with Will and the four cats and Lola has taken quite a shine to Sassy the tripod cat. The conversation was general...why the family moved to Milwaukee, Wi., how it is a very 'blue' city, and we took turns keeping Spike from overturning the table in search of crumbs. Mamadou came by and said hello and more conversation ensued about opening a cafe on the eve of Covid lockdown. Turns out both Ruta and Mamadou successfully opened cafes during that difficult time. Both said they owed their success to the flexibility of the venue and the menus....

Lola sat sketching and I took a picture of the very detailed sketch she made on Sunday morning on our porch. (One of my my neighbor and current art teachers 'rules' was 'keep it simple'...)

We we will all be gathering for one last meal together Ruta and family and Kelly and Maureen who met Ruta the same way we did, through her cooking classes in Oakland. In fact Ruta introduced us to Kelly and Maureen from India when we were unsuccessfully looking for a place to rent in Sonoma county. Kelly and Maureen had the perfect place, and were our 'landlords' for three years when we rented the farmhouse/guest house next to their own house. We will all be dining at Willi's Wine Bar, a very special place for John and me and a place we love to go for 'special occasions'. I will probably be writing more about all this soon. as they are people who occupy a special place in our lives and hearts.

Will, bless his heart, is coming up to 'dog sit' while we are gone as we're still a little reluctant to leave Spike and Blake home alone for what will no doubt be quite a long evening. I have no concerns about Blake and I really think Spike is healed enough to stay by himself so I told Will he could just check in on them, but I think he was ready for a little break from the cats....