My friend Megan obliged us by having her birthday on a day when the kids were out of school and the weather was perfect for the beach. It's embarrassing how many times we said things like, "What a great day," or "You couldn't have asked for anything better." We're smart women, part of me thinks we could have found a little variation to describe this unbridled beauty and joy.

We're old hat at days like this. It's our third summer of beach fun, and each year takes a bit of time to get in a good groove. We managed pretty well today though. Two of us hit the gourmet grocery store and met Megan and her kids at the beach. It's so easy to drop a load of cash at this place. Champagne with blood orange juice, amazing cheese (stilton with mango and ginger, and some lavender goat cheese), and all sorts of other goodies. We decided that anyone walking past our own little patch of beach would envy what a lovely spread we had. At times the kids hovered around us like seagulls. We'd throw them some crumbs (popcorn, pretzels and chips), so they'd scatter for a bit, and soon there were waves to be jumped and holes to be dug. Lots and lots of holes to be dug.

That's a hole, not a ledge!

With just one week left of school, this was a perfect tantalizing treat to kick off the summer.

Happy Birthday Megs, you are my sunshine.