Happy Birthday Times Three

 Earlier this summer I wrote that my high school friends Gayle and Duffy came to the house to celebrate my birthday.  Gayle still lives in Berea just five minutes away from me, and Duffy, who lives in Miami, has been spending this summer up here in Ohio.  (In fact, now that he is retired, he is considering spending his summers and autumns up here to escape the Florida heat and humidity, as well as the hurricane season.)  Yesterday Duffy's husband Carlos flew up to spend a few weeks.  Gayle's birthday is coming up, and both Duffy and Carlos had their birthdays in July.  So I invited them to the house yesterday for a birthday / belated birthday celebration.

I set up tables and chairs on the patio at a safe distance from each other.  I bought a bottle of Spanish wine, a box of delicious Spudnut donuts, and I ordered carry-out from a nearby Italian restaurant.  Gayle brought a small chocolate cake.  We forewent the blowing out of candles so as not to breathe all over the cake.

Gayle cuts the cake.

Carlos and Duffy

I was afraid that it was going to be too cold to comfortably eat outside.  A cold front has come through, and yesterday morning the temperature had dipped down to 44 F.   However, it was a very sunny day, and, dressed appropriately, we had a great time outside on the patio.