Choice words describe family trip to beach

Trepidation is the word that kept coming to mind as I watched Emree cling to her daddy.  It was her first trip to the beach and she wasn’t liking the sand, nor the water.  It was with much anxiety and apprehension that she first let us put her down in the kiddy pool, but her desire to play in the water outweighed her misgiving and soon she was motoring around with reckless abandon.  Soon her only protest came when it was time to get out!
More trepidation. Same thing with the surf.  She put the baby monkey hold on Zachary. But again, her inquisitiveness overrode her trepidation and she soon was jumping in his arms and exclaiming “more, more” as her daddy let her “ride” the waves.
But the sand was another story.  Emree didn’t like it, didn’t want to touch it. But for the prospect of getting to play on the steps leading to the top of the boardwalk, she let granddaddy DW lead her across the sand in that direction.
Unhappy about sand between her toes, though, she endured her displeasure only for the sake of the climb.  But not so the next time.  Her trepidation persisted and she clung to me as she pointed to boats, birds, balls, and waved bye to beach goers.  Emree loves those “b” words.
Right across from our hotel was a favorite restaurant and lucky for us, it was strollable. (I’d rather buckle a toddler in a stroller than in a car seat!) Emree enjoyed the stroll over after she forgot that her ma-ma and da-da didn’t come with us.  She charmed everyone at Louisiana Lagniappe with her affable smile and friendly wave.
Diners and staff responded with the same.  The bus boys waved at her every time they passed by our table.  Maybe her pleasant disposition made them overlook the dropped crackers and spilled water.  After dinner with plenty of daylight left and a happy baby in her stroller, we opted for a stroll around the marina to see the boats and their catch of the day. And Emree pointed out the boys playing ball in the parking lot, who were all met with more waves and smiles…lagniappe dockside. Extra and nice for the 3 of us.
Small world.  The next afternoon we had a serendipitous meeting of friends from Jackson, Tennessee.  DW and I were strolling along the water’s edge when we all unexpectedly recognized each other quite at the same time and all chimed in with what are you doing here! And an impromptu visit ensued!  Beach side lagniappe!
Color my world.  On Saturday as we girls were driving back from a morning of shopping Zachary called and said to meet him and DW for lunch at Cobalt.  Sounded good to me and also a little familiar.  With a little help from Google we continued heading east toward Florida and found the restaurant named for the waters that surrounded it.   And more than just blue but dark, brilliant, intense, vivid, luminous, and rich.  And, wouldn’t you know, serendipitously I had just read in a decorating magazine on the ride down to Alabama’s gulf coast that all blues go together, and nowhere is that more evident than in the gulf waters.  Azure, Caerulean, sapphire, Indigo and cobalt.  A meal for the senses.
Birds on chairs was a comical sight to see along our early morning beach walk.  Herron, birds with, well…bird legs…were perched on the chairs…without trepidation it seemed…where sunbathers would eventually spend the day.  They had quite the vantage point as they watched, sometimes perched on one scrawny leg, and waited for breakfast.  And these shore birds were not so wary of the fishermen or the passersby on the beach where they must have been waiting for a bite too, or maybe hopeful that a benevolent fisherman would toss a bait fish their way.  Seems everyone… man and bird… was out for a fresh caught breakfast…tasty and salubrious from the surf.
And, that’s the word from the beach!

Recipe of the Week

Key Lime Squares
Serve beachside, poolside, lakeside, or on the creek bank

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
2 ¾ cups sugar, divided
6 tablespoons margarine melted
1 egg white
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup low fat evaporated milk
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons Key lime zest
⅓ cup Key lime juice, fresh or a good bottled substitute
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Combine crumbs, nuts, ½ cup sugar, and margarine.  Add egg white, stirring to combine. Press crumb mixture into a 13×9 inch baking pan; bake for 8 minutes.  Combine cream cheese and ½ cup sugar; beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add milk, beating until combined.  Spoon mixture evenly over curst.  Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Combine remaining 1 ¾ cups sugar, eggs, zest and juice.  Whisk to combine.  In a small bowl combine flour and baking powder; add to sugar mixture, whisking to combine.  Pour sugar mixture over cream cheese mixture.  Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky.  Cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.