Sunset at Rio Del Mar beach, originally uploaded by mslaura.

We went to a wonderful bonfire at RIo Del Mar beach a few weeks ago, put on by our friends Susanne and Jeff.

It was a beautiful afternoon that melted into a beautiful windless evening. This photo shows the very beginning of the sunset, but it got much better later on.

We cooked sausages over the fire, ate watermelon, and I think I personally polished off about half a bag's worth of marshmallows roasting them over the fire. Yum. Julian learned the professional way to toast a marshmallow. These skills need to be taught early, you know.

At twilight the air still had a tinge of perfect orangey glow to it, but the stars had come out. The group at the fire pit next door was playing guitars and singing classic Spanish songs.

I noticed that Julian had stopped playing with the other kids and was standing by himself looking around. He had a strange look on his face.

I went over to see what was up.

"How are you doing, Juju? Are you having a good time? Everything OK?

He kept looking around at the sky, the ocean, the people all enjoying themselves. Then he looked at me.

"The night is *fine*, Mama."

And he gave a little sigh of contentment. Then he ran off to play.