Monday, February 16 -- a walk on the beach

Another pretty morning, the air scrubbed clean by the recent rains.  We all woke up reasonably early and decided to stroll up the beach.  "Our" beach is just a small slice here, but one can walk up the tide line as far as motivation & energy allow.  The surf was ferocious and there were not too many of us out walking.  We passed a couple who'd dragged chaise lounges out close to the waves' edge, and a pair of fellows contemplating surf fishing and discussing the minutia of various techniques.  But the very best part of the outing was a pair of retrievers whose human had a floating toy much like a boat bumper which he flung out into the surf.  These guys were having the absolute time of their canine lives charging out to save the thing.  Happy, happy, HAPPY dogs!

Needing a rest after braving the sand (great exercise, but certainly tiring for the calves!) we showered off the grit and prepared for a restful day -- Linda and Claudette down by the pool, me enjoying the breeze through the open sliding doors and working up meal components.

We wrapped the day with a jicama salad, embellished with oranges & cilantro -- a favorite from last year -- as our starter.

Can't have just a starter, so out came Pork Tinga, a variety of pork cuts (meat is cut very differently in Mexico than in the States, so I'd bought several different styles) braised and then finished in a stew-y tomato sauce, and Rick Bayless' refried bean recipe -- heavy on onions & garlic, light on oil or fat.  

A little clean-up, a little reading, and off to sleep with us!