"Shouldn't you go to the beach in the summer, when it's hot and you can lie in the sun?"
A friend asked me this last week when I told her I was going to Alabama's Gulf Coast with some old friends from my college days.
Alabama has about fifty miles of beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, stretching from the Florida state line, through the major resort communities of Orange beach and Gulf Shores and on to the Fort Morgan peninsula. I had never been to the coast during the winter, but I thought the weather might be pleasant enough. And it was! I didn't mind the chilly nights, blustery days, with some rain mixed in to give a good excuse for indoor shopping.
We stayed in Orange Beach, and the uncrowded beaches were perfect for walking, if not for sunbathing. 
A pool of water reflects nearby condominiums.
Sea shells and sea foam and foot prints make patterns in the sand.
A giant shadow person waves at me.
Sea oats and fencing protect the sand dunes.
Sea gulls fly over head and hunt for food along the beach.
Pastel colors wash the sky as our first day at the beach passes into evening.
A dark and turbulent sunset on another day follows a storm.
We spoke to the man in the following picture as he passed. He was walking away from the sunset.
"You are going the wrong way!" we told him. "Look behind you!" Amazingly, caught up in his own thoughts, he was unaware of the spectacular sunset that had occurred.
Today I returned home, refreshed and ready to get busy. Lou tells me it may snow this weekend. No way. I'm planning on working in my garden!