Last Friday my daughters took me out for a day to our nearby vintage district and farm community. As I mentioned before, the little town we visited hugs the Snohomish River. Most of the tourists spend their day in the shops and restaurants up the short hill from the river. Few even know this park down along the walking path by the river exists. There are only two ways to get down to this spot, either the sloping walking path from one end of town, or a set of wooden stairs that are practically hidden from view about midway through the town.
The city has set up two picnic tables under a large tree just off of the walking path. Most of the time, we are the only ones interested in using one of these tables. In March, when we convinced my husband to join us as my daughters celebrated their own birthday in Snohomish, the four of us had both picnic tables to ourselves at noon. We had great weather that day, with highs in the low 70s. In addition, the large tree had not leafed out yet, so the sun chased away any chill we may have felt when we first sat down.
On Friday's outing, we arrived with our picnic gear and found one table occupied by a man with his guitar, but the other table was available. In all of our years visiting this town and picnicking by the river, we have never had anyone use one table while we used the other. That's how unknown this area with tables is.
My daughters packed a fantastic lunch for us all to enjoy. They made chicken salad, using leftover roasted chicken from earlier in the week, and brought both slices of bread and rice cakes for the chicken. They also made a marinated green bean salad by making a vinaigrette for canned green beans, allowing to chill overnight. They cut carrot sticks, brought whole apples, potato chips, roasted peanuts, and iced tea. And for dessert, they packed jellied fruit slices and caramel rice cakes. Doesn't that all sound fabulous? Everything was delicious and they made sure I could eat almost all of it (except the bread slices). The food was plentiful and we had leftovers to enjoy the next day, too.
Our musician companion at the other table provided background music for ambiance. And we were treated to a view not only of the river, but of others enjoying the beautiful day. We watched 2 people on jet skis enjoying the river and several hang gliders coming down into a large grassy field on the other side of the river.
Our lovely lunch in the park was refreshing. I can't imagine feeling so refreshed after a lunch in a restaurant with the clatter of kitchen work, dishes, and other diners' conversations. We had peace, beauty, and tasty food. What a way to enjoy lunch with my daughters!
Our picnic made me think of all of the other opportunities summer presents for picnics. My family has done picnics at local beaches, in tree-filled parks, on benches in the small "town square" of a neighboring development, and in our own backyard. There's something special about a meal outdoors, away from phones, internet, the doorbell, and household chores. We now plan to make picnicky a regular feature of this summer. How about you? Do you enjoy picnics? Are there any picnics in your upcoming plans for this summer? What are some of your favorite picnic foods?
