Ninja Food Cake on The Julep Deck

Over the past few days I've been emailing with some friends in the neighborhood to find time to get a drink and catch up, and yesterday we settled on tonight at 7. I was ready and walking to meet them at 7 when the reply text came that they were no where near ready and did I want to come over to their apt? So I did, not knowing if we were going to go out later or stay in at that point. We had a round of Mint Juleps with fresh mint from the patio and homemade simple syrup. And bourbon, of course. And we went out to the deck to sit in the last rays of the sweltering day. We spent the first round of the delicious Juleps discussing the baking process (and practical self-defense application) of Ninja Food Cake (one of my hosts is a pastry chef), a wonderful conversation which originated when one of us mis-heard another say "Angel Food Cake." As the sun dropped behind the trees and homes, I had a perfect view of the tiniest crescent of moon between the neighbor's chimney and a tree a block away. I wished I had a camera that would do that view justice, opting to enjoy it rather than attempt to capture it on my camera phone. The twilight turned to dusk and to night, and the summer heat cooled. The three of us snacked on cheese, crackers, dry roasted peanuts. Stars began to appear in the darkening sky, and after a while we ran out of things to drink and eat, and one by one we pushed our chairs aside and laid on the third floor deck, looking up at the sky. One of my hosts put on a mellow guitar/vocal album on the iPod and we just lay there for what seemed like hours. I spotted a dipper (Ursa Minor, I learned after a quick Google image search), which impressed me considering our proximity to the city lights. I also enjoyed watching numerous regional jets on their descent to O'Hare. When the album ran out, I decided I should excuse myself before I wear out my welcome, and inside, I discovered it was already 11pm. How the time had flown, and what a lovely time I'd had enjoying the music, the view, the summer night, and the company of good friends.