Once the dogs were disappointedly extracted from the Taco we fell into our routines; first day saw the rest of summer unloaded, truck beds hosed out, tires aired and the ’45 fired up…then back to morning walks, a grey day with Castro laying waste to [and cleaning up] the “garden”, car washing and a run to American Canyon to talk with Miguel about possible repairs and

improvements all before the rains came Thursday, making for slippy sidewalks [onto one

of which L. fell coming up First first thing to her subsequent and increasing detriment]

and what would have been a mellow studio time of finally drawing save for the neighbors’

tree trimmers running their woodchipper all morning right outside my door.  By dark

the rain had drifted off and Bryan came for a 52nd birthday dinner at local celebratory venue Bella Siena where my mushy capellini pomodoro vainly attempted to disguise itself as ‘cuisine’

with a gratuitous melange of ingredients* but BLM liked his sea bass so all were happy…

Friday the air cleared somewhat and a longtime friend came for a most enjoyable visit,

treated us to lunch at Mai Thai and took “Maybe Bitner Butte” home with him…very fine, much appreciated to be appreciated and great to catch up too. The remains of summer [and others]

above. Saturday, prior to leaving for Arizona for the other half of the year, the next doors’

had their annual family Thanksgiving/Christmas/birthday blowout, augmented this time with the joyful addition of a Baby Shower wherein all had a riotous time while we hid away, Linda with her increasingly problematic wrist, to revisit “One Battle After Another” on the telly

which proved as engaging as it had been in Pueblo but different**.  I was still relieved to see Teyana Taylor’s Perfidia’s earlyish exit for Mexico [her caricature of a character embodying all too well the ‘revolutionaries’ I ever eschewed in my youth…and a rat to boot] but second time around Sean Penn’s Lockjaw came across as less cartoony and more nuanced, Leonardo

and Benicio [not enough Del Toro!] remained brilliant as ever but it was definitely Chase Infiniti who ruled, ruled it over all the megastars and…wow.  Anyway, time worthily spent though having the credits with the Tom Petty’s “American Girl” eradicated for the sake of unbecoming streaming attractions was a cruel disappointment to end on.

Sunday, after Linda suffered an even more painful night of wrist, brought sunshine and calls

to Kaiser, resulting in a late afternoon trip to for x-rays and consultation which showed arthritis violently inflamed from Thursday morning’s fall on First…but that news was no consolation.

So, first week in Cali and already twice to Vallejo, oh ho; at least one truck’s clean.

*Truth be told I’ve NEVER had any luck with Bella’s overpriced overwrought offerings but the setting’s the thing; Event Space.

**Continuity still conspicuously an issue [What’s the TIME?***] and though the geographical preposterousness didn’t much matter this time through neither seriously impeded the headlong kineticism. Phew.

***Shadows in different positions, light changing throughout some sequences, etc.