Overcast and 58 Degrees in Bristow

Jill with Coco

Dinner with Ellen and Walt

The Barbecue Boys

Enjoying the Deck

Evie and Ellen on the Deck

I was up at 5:40 this morning, not early enough to catch Drew, however, who leaves for work around 5:00, to avoid D.C. traffic and get a work out in before starting work.  The sun is trying to peek through the clouds and it looks like a nice enough day, a slight possibility of showers but cooler for Bristow, a high of 73.

We had a leisurely Sunday, hanging out at the house, enjoying the girls, and having my sister Ellen and her husband, Wally, over for dinner.  Early on, Drew, Halle, and I went to Panera and picked up some bagels, to Giant for donuts for the girls.  Later,  I took Coco for a walk around the neighborhood and it was strange because the last time I walked it, it was Christmas, night time, and all the houses were decorated with lights.  Now it's all green, no lights and warm.  Evie and I then went to a farmer's market, picked up some fresh beets and greens for dinner, then stopped at Safeway for noodles and a few other items.  Jill and Drew went for a run, the girls played with a neighborhood friend.

Around 2:00, Evie and I and the girls went off to their neighborhood pool, about a half mile away.  It's a great pool, large, with lots of space for chairs and towels, as well as a snack bar, a perfect way to enjoy a hot Sunday afternoon.  We played with the girls in the pool for about an hour, sun bathed, then came home in time to get ready for Ellen and Wally.  They arrived around 4:00 and it was perfect afternoon to sit out on Jill's grand deck, amidst the trees, and enjoy at a Shandy (beer and lemonade) or a glass of wine.  We had not seen the Bottiny's since the last time we were here in Bristow, around Christmas, when we took the girls over to Ellen's house for dinner.  Drew cooked barbecue chicken out on the grill, Evie sauteed the slice beets until tender, then added the greens and cooked them till tender.  They were amazingly good, sweet with a touch of bitterness from the chard like greens.  This used to be one of our favorite lunches in Istanbul.  We would go to Saturday market at Besiktas, pick up beets along with other veggies and fruits, a hot loaf of bread and come home, make the beets and eat them with the still warm bread.

Ellen made strawberry short cake for dessert, all home made with real whip cream, a delicious treat for after dinner.  The shortcake, alone, was good enough to eat without the strawberries and cream, but we didn't.  The girls loved it as well.

The girls went to bed early, around 8:30, exhausted from their week of recitals, practice, and Granny.  We ended up watching the first half of the Celtics and Heat game but we all went to bed by 10:30 as well as we were tired as well.