Winter at the Beach

As a kid and a young adult, I remember sitting on the beach in Laguna or Newport Beach in February. The beautiful weather we are enjoying several days a week here in February of 2009 is as I remember as a kid. We do battle some traffic here in our beach communities and on the freeways, but the trade-off is we are not battling blizzards, icy roads, loss of electricity and all that goes with the white blankets of winter covering so much of the country. Having this clear air at the beach to breathe, the beautiful pounding surf, layering only a top, sweater and sometimes a jacket in winter here is a far cry from the 2 winters we experienced in New Hampshire where temps reached down to 20 below. Yikes. I'll deal with the traffic ! Here are a few photos to whet your appetite for a California Winter. We hope our Eastern friends might be able to visit us someday soon. The surfers are Jim's son Craig and our grandson Connor, cutting quite a swath in the curl (well, sort of in the curl !). The painting with the folded umbrellas above is entitled, York Beach, Maine. I painted it during the winter of 2004 as a blizzard hit New Hampshire. Wishful thinking, in this case, wishful painting. It was inspired by a neighbor's photograph of his beach house there, casting a shadow onto the sand.

And for dinner, how about a variation on the classic chicken pot pie. Instead of chicken, add some Andoille sausage and fresh shrimp. Just include some herbs and a little garlic and now we have a shrimp pot pie ! Serve with a crisp salad and a lovely light wine and it is a perfect supper, after a walk on the beach. Place some of your collection of sea shells, sea fans, sea glass down the center of the table; low white votive candles between the shells, some white napkins, natural straw mats and throw in some white roses from the garden and you have a "beach scape" to complement the dinner. Or, use the pie for dessert elevated on a cake stand and covered with a glass bell punctuated by spring tulips. Either way, it is a welcome table for a relaxing meal.