My Sunset Culinaire Cruise

Yesterday afternoon we went on a dinner cruise with a real three-course dinner. It was beautiful and delicious. We each began with a salad (my friend, the Birthday Boy, is more adventuresome than I and had a Thai salad with a spring roll), then we went with the catch of the day -- grouper -- cooked with rice on a shrimp reduction sauce, and for dessert I had a terrific rice pudding (that tasted spicy somehow) with raspberry sauce and he had chocolate cheesecake.

We both had wine enjoyed watching the sunset with the ship's dog, a lovely old mutt named Jackie who endured our petting in exchange for access to the area under the table so she could search for anything that may have missed our mouths.

In the past we have taken a sunset sail, but this was actually much better. The boat's capacity is only 18, and the price tag is a little heftier, so while all shipmates were friendly, there's less of that raucous party atmosphere.

Don't know what we're doing today. I just know that I love being here because of my friend. His lover and their friends are so interesting and just so accepting of me. Yesterday we had lunch with a married couple of lawyers who recently moved down here from DC (Virginia, actually) and he is looking for a teaching position at the community college down here where my friend is a professor. His wife and I hit it off instantly, talking about everything from the wonderfully tacky moccasins found at the Wisconsin Dells to the inspiring love story of John and Elizabeth Edwards. She said what I was thinking, "It's so nice to meet someone who agrees with me about everything!"

Well I'd better log off now and continue up Duval in search of souvenirs for loved ones back home. Wait! What's that I hear? Could it be a margarita calling out to me?

(I'm composing this from a community computer at an Internet cafe, so unfortunately I can't include any photos. For more information and some professional pix, visit www.sunsetculinaire.com.)