Our string of seven days over 100 degrees ended today, a south wind was blowing! That’s when dragonflies hunker down close to the ground, like in Justin’s lawn. There were about lots of little fluttery coppery wings sparkling in the sun, not too visible here.Closer:Closer still:

Good conversation, a great spinach salad, fresh tomatoes to take home, and a new Fitbit friend – we unpacked Ade’s and got it all set up!

In line to get snacks before the movie started:The movie was 97 minutes long. After 40 minutes, Avery wanted to leave. After 60 minutes, Sophia wanted to leave. We persevered. On the way out of the theater, “Grandma, can we go to the pet adoption center. It’s right across the street.” Of course. To our surprise, there were NO cats in the big playroombut we did get to visit for a short time in the small room where the kittens are behind locked doors in semi-private spaces. Time for a treat before going home and Sophia knew exactly where – Yogurt Garden. Yum.

“Grandma, can we go to the pet adoption place?” Of course! Today there were seven kittens.Sophia is really good with the kittensbut the kittens are more like slippery eels when Avery tries to hold them.Checking out 12-string and 6-string guitars before the ukelele lesson began:

Luke Rankin was a student in the first Westside Charter School 7th-grade class where I was “teaching head-teacher” – one of my best and most memorable years of teaching. Luke was an excellent student – a great kid in all ways. When his mom Sheila asked me where I thought he should go for high school after 8th grade, I suggested Rio Linda High School and told her, “He will be a star.” And he was, valedictorian of his class; I was invited to his baccalaureate at Calvary Lutheran Church. Luke went off to college in the midwest, then got a Fulbright Scholarship to Russia; back in the USA, he went into banking in the Bay Area. Today I went to his wedding in San Jose at Willow Glen United Methodist Church.Luke with his mother Sheila:I sat with an old family friend, Angi, on my left. It was wonderful to hear stories about Luke and Julie over the past five years since they met. On my right was Javan, who has known Luke since he first started at Chase Bank. When Luke came to our table, he said, “It’s no accident that you two are sitting next to each other. You were both my mentors, one in school and one in business.” While Luke left Chase Bank after a few years, he and Javan stayed in close contact … the mentorship continues.

Just a half mile down the road from our cabin was this almost-life-size metal sculpture. Before leaving, we had breakfast at Sugar Pine Cafe,then a stop in Merced for our traveling drinks. When you’re gone for a few days, the changes at home can be dramatic, like these crape myrtles at Justin’s driveway.