The Catbird Seat

One of the joys of living near the ocean is fresh seafood, and we have consumed an abundance of it in the nearly two weeks since we have been here, including scallops, crab cakes, and trigger fish, all prepared here in the condo by Martha.  The dishes she has prepared have been absolutely delicious, as all fresh seafood is, but my photos do not do them justice.  Here is the melt-in-your mouth sweet bay scallops she prepared last week, with roasted brussel sprouts (so simple:  just baked until they have a little caramelization) and macaroni-and-cheese from Friendly Market - great flavors and textures, but somehow the colors all looked a little drab in my photo.  But that is the fault of the photographer and not the chef.

Martha loves to cook so much out here that I rarely have an opportunity, but I enjoy being in the kitchen, too, as some of my followers know, and tonight I offered to prepare baked grouper (which is coming in just now at Jim's Seafood) so we will see how it comes out.  Hopefully delicious; probably not photogenic.

This day was a surprise!  Thunderstorms had been predicted for most of the day, and it was raining a little when we went to Anytime Fitness this morning, but by lunchtime (the reliably healthy Panera Bread nearby) the sun was beginning to shine, and all afternoon the skies have been cloudless.   Meteorologists have a tough time out here; they seem to be wrong most of the time, really, and it is best not to make plans based on their predictions. 

Our walkway leads to a wide dune-top deck, and that is where I would have preferred to sit all day in the sun, leaning against the slanted back with feet propped up on the adjoining seat, hat cocked over my face, as I did once or twice last week.  But we have been joined this week by one or two other families, and particularly one woman who has been in the Catbird Seat all day.  Her husband joined her mid-afternoon and they left to stroll on the beach, so I waited a decent amount of time and then ambled out to sit and watch the surf break and listen to the sea gulls.  But in no time they had returned; she was slightly plump and was wearing a wide-brimmed sunbonnet, and she sat right down at the other end of the bench and said, "Well, here I am on my perch again!"  And she did look as if she had landed on a perch, back straight, gazing around her.

"Oh, were you out here earlier?" I innocently asked.

"Oh yes!"  Her husband sat down meekly beside her and they fell silent, watching the same surf I was watching.

"Did you see any dolphins today?" I asked.

"No, not today, but we have seen them every other day."

I watched them out of the corner of my eye for a few minutes, trying not to feel resentful at having to share my own favorite perch, and then I stood up nonchalantly and walked down to the end of the walkway and stood for awhile surveying the wide ocean and that perfectly straight line of the horizon.  Then I turn and walked past them with a friendly wave and a smile and came back inside.  No need to intrude, after all - they are exactly where anyone should be on a beautiful day such as this, not sitting indoors watching television, but out here the same as I am, a happy little bird perched on a wide branch simply watching the waves roll in.  And wherever I sit out here, after all, I am in the Catbird Seat.

And here is our dinner for tonight:  fresh baked grouper, sauteed spinach, and black japonica rice.  Martha pronounced it delicious, but still the photo doesn't do it justice!