Saturday, we – my mom, my sister, and I – went to the beach to visit with some friends who have a house that bumps gently against the dunes. The house is glorious. They’ve done quite a bit of work on it, and even added on to it. The second story facing the beach is almost entirely windows, and overlooks the water.

The menu:

Homemade hummus
Homemade pitas
Shrimp two ways
Broccoli-two cheese casserole
Tomatoes with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar
Deviled eggs
Fresh breads (baguette, olive-basil, and rosemary)
Pineapple upside down cake

Creamy hummus.

Pita dough, cut and ready for rolling.

The first couple of pitas were sacrificial as I got the hang of making them. Once that round was over, though, the rest turned out very well indeed.

The casserole, before the topping mixture.

And after.

Mom’s famous pineapple upside down cake.

We packed all that up, along with a very good bottle of wine, and made our way to the shore.

I always wanted to sail…

This is what a nicely done appetizer plate of hummus and pitas looks like.

And this is what happy people look like when they’re sitting out on a deck on the beach with that nice plate.

I had a cut on the tip of my middle finger on my right hand, probably from the server I was setting up in the wee hours of Saturday morning. I didn’t notice it until I was making the marinade for half the shrimp and was squeezing some limes and lemons. Ouch. Half the shrimp was boiled, half sauteed after being in the marinade.

Eventually, you have to put everything together. Shrimp and deviled eggs.

Broccoli casserole, hot and bubbly from the oven.

Tomatoes, sliced, with basil picked just that morning, dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Warm, sliced bread.

The long view.

Al fresco dining on the deck.

Action photo. Photo by me, action courtesy of Mother Nature and the relentless attack on the shore by the waves.

Look to the west.

You’ll see the sun set.

The beach will empty of people.

But the moon will keep you company.

Back on the deck, we enjoyed some dessert.

And after a bit more visiting, we said our goodbyes and headed home, pleasantly full and tired. Too tired to sort through the photos afterward and post about it, in fact.