My first day of vacation

On my way to a friend's house today, I traveled the back byways of our countryside. In the rain, the red dirt road glowed:

I wasn't fast enough to catch a photo of a black kitten crossing the red clay road and pausing among the greenery that edged it, but I did snap this big guy laying down for a rest:

The gate welcomed me in to my friends' house, and a lovely gate it is:

And one more greeting committee, one whose photo I took from a loooong distance away!

A good time was had by all, and we talked well into the afternoon on the screened-in porch with coffee mugs in our hands and listening to the jays in the pine trees. A nice first day of summer vacation.