A beach picnic always sounds delightful but, unless you want soggy sandwiches and a mouthful of sand, some planning is required. After a life of living near the coast, I have developed a successful strategy for keeping sand out of my food and mouth.

Like boxed wine, canned wine is looked down upon by wine snobs, but that shouldn't stop us regular folks from enjoying it. Canned wine is actually a much more convenient option for all your outdoor drinking than bottled, or even boxed, wine.

Ants love the messes that are associated with outdoor meals, so there's always an anthill near every picnic area. If you want to keep them from crawling on your seat and into your food, you can make some mini ant moats with pie tins.

Watermelons come in all shapes and sizes, so knowing how much you need for a barbecue or picnic can be tricky. This simple rule of thumb will make sure you get enough for everyone.