It's been a lot of years

and some pictures remind me of that more than others. I'm guessing this was summer or early fall of 1945. The year is easy, pinpointing the exact date is a little tougher. Maybe Jim has something else on his mind, but certainly Ed and mother are treating the newest female in the family with the gravity her presence deserves. Pretty stylish denim overalls, hot enough for them to go without shirts, and mother, as always, in a dress. Thanks to everyone who remembered yet another birthday. Cards, flowers, chocolates, doesn't get much better. Cullen, Tom and I saw "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" in Bethesda this afternoon. The 2:00 p.m. show is a good time to see a movie, even if the young couple behind me did decide that the line of people waiting to buy tickets looked like escapees from a retirement community. Nothing light and airy about that movie, but despite the R rating, lots of redemption in the end, even if it won't get me on a horse crossing the border into Mexico.

Then an early dinner at a restaurant that does tapas. The trick is to order 2 or 3 plates. The servings are small, but big enough to share so the table ends up looking like a smorgasbord, or very quickly like a cluttered table. And once again Cullen opted to let his parents take on the dessert duty. White chocolate mousse on the left, chocolate mousse on the right. I know there's been a little bit of a dog versus cat issue in the family blogs, but what's not to like about two cats in the sun? That's Henry in all his long-hair glory on the left, just waiting to have his ears licked by Eli. Two mellow cats.