That's a lot of picnicking. And you know, I don't remember the food served at any of them. It wasn't about the food, it was about enjoying the outdoors on a nice summer day with family and friends, co-workers, and classmates. I know that sometimes we grilled burgers or hot dogs and roasted marshmallows for dessert. Other times we brought food in a cooler that was already cooked and assembled at home. Sometimes it was nothing more than a brown bag lunch. The joy of eating outdoors on a perfect summer day with the sun shining, the birds singing, people laughing, and dogs sniffing around for table scraps is what I remember.
I remember squirt gun fights and water balloon fights. I remember summer tunes playing on the portable radio and chasing fireflies after the sun went down. I remember having ice cubes from the cooler slipped down my tank top and screaming over the extreme cold on my sun-heated skin. I remember the ice cream truck stopping by and thinking long and hard over what to choose only to end up having a red Popsicle as always. I remember Slo-Poke suckers that lasted most of the day. I remember the mosquitoes that always annoyed us and the smell of seaweed and fish when we were near a lake. I remember sitting around campfires with a bottle of wine and bags of munchies long after dark (the nighttime version of picnicking). So many happy times.
I'll leave you with a photo of me and my grad school classmates taken at our graduation-celebration picnic on Belle Isle. I'll let you guess which one is me ;-)
