Summer Meals Outdoors ~

Enjoying a casual, languid meal ‘alfresco’  is

one of my favorite rites of  summer.

What is it about dining

outdoors, that makes an ordinary

meal…magical?  It brings back such good

childhood memories of

 meals on the patio at the simple Redwood

picnic table our dad built.

Maybe that’s what drew me to the

simplicity of our 

new ‘picnic’  table. It’s a clean-lined teak

design with a slatted wood 

top and trestle base. It’s not

fancy. It’s not pricey

 but it IS real  wood,

 all Teak  and in time, it will gray

beautifully. I’ve set the table for a little

casual alfresco

meal. All the ‘fixings’ in one big

rustic basket

lined with nautical

stripes…a

nod to summer & the view.

I added more earthiness with a

 single stem, a few borrowed 

 pots of rosemary

and 

 

Alpine Strawberries, just picked from

our garden…I’m a pushover  for an 

edible centerpiece! The pop of color comes from

the bottles of sparkling water. Have they

always been so beautiful? Or is the 

alfresco  ‘thing’ kicking in…playing

with my senses.

Even the thought of a simple cheese course  

seems better out here, especially

served on old Italian

cheese boards lined with

fig leaves from the

garden. No fancy glasses needed…

but quince paste and

fig jam would be nice.

Oh, and a few pillows/throws…

Keeping it casual…that’s alfresco  dining at its

best…where nature &

the warm fresh air embraces

 you and the watery

 view and a few candles provide all

the summer

sparkle you need,