Mar 2: Sunday A.M.

Who doesn't love a relaxing Sunday morning? I spent part of mine this week sitting at the beach in Fort Lauderdale. And sipping coffee at a lovely outdoor café. And ... Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. I probably should explain first that Sunday mornings really seem like special moments to me. Something more than just relaxation, I guess. This was true for me about as far back as I can remember. As an adult, I began to feel those few hours of the week were more important than ever. These days I often like to put on some classical music, then luxuriate over coffee and the thick Sunday newspaper for hours, ideally shared with someone as special as the time.

Or I like to do what I did this past Sunday - head to a café for an alfresco breakfast. Either way, it seems a wonderful start to a new week. The Fort Lauderdale area is perfect for this sort of thing, of course. Lots of cafes to choose from, lots of sunshine to help wake you up.

So I hopped in my new car and headed to one of my personal faves for breakfast, Croissan'Time in Fort Lauderdale. It's one of those great weekend spots, full of fellow Sunday morning lovers. You know, folks spreading newspapers over their tables, moving cups of coffee and plates of French pastries out of the way of their lifestyle and sports and business sections. Families with kids and dogs, singles and couples. Just very pleasant. I sat alone at a sunny table with coffee and a raspberry beignet, mostly watching everyone else and smiling as those dogs sniffed and barked at each other. When I'd sat for nearly an hour, I headed to the beach. It was a brisk morning by South Florida standards, but beautiful, very beautiful. The sea was a light emerald in the shallows, darkening out farther from shore to a deep forest green. Small breakers were rolling in, their foam spraying mists from the wind. Tourist children were playing in the surf. Tourist adults were sunning themselves on the sand, people from Quebec and New York and wherever else, their pale white skin exposed to the warm rays. As I walked back to my car, heading home to the newspaper waiting for me, I felt very lucky in many ways. That may sound exaggerated but it's true. Lucky for the chance to enjoy another relaxing Sunday morning and lucky to spend part of it by the Atlantic Ocean. Lucky, too, that another delightful Sunday morning was only six days away.