Summer's Here!

The first full day of summer, yippee! Dean and I had our first al fresco dinner of the year tonight, sitting out on the front deck in the sun. The menu:

Appetizer:
A pitcher of lemon-drop martinis, ice cold, served with a lemon twist and sugared rim
Hummus, with toasted pita bread cut into triangles

Salad:
Fresh garden greens from the back yard, served with pine nuts and goat cheese, and Dean's secret dressing

Main Course:
Tenderloin steaks, medium-rare for Peter, well-done for Dean
Sauted vegetables: broccoli, zucchini, mushroom, onion, garlic and lemon-spices

Wine:
A simple Hogue Fume Blanc, chilled

Dessert:
A plate of cashews and toasted-salted almonds

The Scenery:
Coreopsis, veronica, angel's-fishing-rod, and lilies in bloom; a pair of ruby-throated hummingbirds diving through the sky singing "jeka-jeka-jeka;" bluest of blue skies framing the giant elm pair and Douglas fir. Heavenly. Simply heavenly.

And what's even better: it's still light out! We are going to go for an after-dinner walk.