This challenge comes from a small writing group. We have a large series of random questions that we answer and share. The goal is to answer at least one per week. My personal goal is to do this for one full year. I am so glad this is almost over, it has now reached the tedious level and I have no plans for after it’s over. I know the writing group is getting together but I have not been brave enough to attend a gathering of that sort yet.
Question: Describe your perfect picnic. What’s in your picnic basket?
Picnic Time
Not really a big fan, the two places where we did picnic are the school where my brother went and Ravinia. My oldest brother went away to high school so to visit him once a month we all packed in the car and brought a lunch along.
We had a basket that had elastic bands attached to the flip up lids to hold plates and utensils. The basket held sandwiches and fruit and salad.
On nice weather days we sat out on the lawn at tables and ran around. My brother is 8 years older and not interested in childish games so we 3 littles played together. On rainy or cold days we picniced in the gym, and also ran around.
Ravinia is an outdoor music venue in the Chicago suburbs. As a single parent I quite often took my 2 youngest children. They have a very large lawn area for setting up your basket and blanket and enjoy the evening. The best part was that tickets for lawn seats were very often inexpensive and within my budget.
As with much that has changed in the world so have the prices. Based on who is performing the ticket prices are quite often no longer in my price bracket. Another feature that I loved is that not all spaces could see inside the Pavillion that sheltered the performance. So we gladly stretched out on our blanket and listened to the music.
Based on my 2 major picnic experiences my menu would probably follow the menu my children requested most .
Potato salad – Watermelon – Cheese and crackers – Small 1/4 size sandwiches – cookies, these are the simple finger foods you could walk around and find your friends. You could also invite a friend back to share.
It feels good to stretch my writing muscles a little bit. I have been away for a while for all the wrong reasons. I hope I xan continue this exercise.
kathy70 