
After we moved to California’s central coast, our longest-running tradition became the church picnic. Even though the church was right across the street from a park, we always reserved space at another park that was equipped to host the entertainment for the day-- the High School vs the "old guys" softball game, little kids three-legged races, the church-wide water balloon toss. It was fun to have all ages at the same thing at the same time rather than segregated by age and stage like we usually were at church.
The other advantage was it was the only place that offered enough picnic tables to hold the abundant potluck buffet that was the centerpiece of the gathering (isn’t food always the centerpiece?) I'm a tad picky about my food (ok, that’s sort of a massive understatement). If it's supposed to be hot, I want it really hot, so I'm not fond of lasagna and hot-dishes an hour out of the oven. I won’t eat ANYthing with mayo or mustard so that leaves out all salads (potato, pasta, etc) with unidentifiable dressings, and most sandwiches since I can never really be sure what’s spread on that bread. I’m not a fan of onions or olives…can you see how that would create problems at the typical church potluck? (Funny that I have memories of all the stuff I wouldn’t/couldn’t eat!)

Mostly though, I came for dessert. I wouldn’t care if I only got the skin off a thigh in the KFC bucket if I had a good shot at the dessert table. Specifically, Mrs. Katekaru's fresh blackberry cobbler. Made with berries from their yard (blackberries don't grow wild in California the same way they do in the northwest, so it was a special treat). I could usually count on some brownies and chocolate cupcakes with white frosting (with colored sugar or sprinkles) to round out my meal. And yes, I was over 18 for most of those picnics. I can’t help it if my food tastes were stunted when I was 5 or 6!
(And to all of you who’ll be a this year’s picnic feasting on tri-tip and emptying the coolers on Todd—beware Todd, it’s tradition—wish we could see you, but we’ll be at our new church picnic. The tradition continues, just a little different.)

The room we were originally assigned didn't quite measure up to our expectations, so we got moved from the tiny (smoky smelling) "Garden Suite" (that looked out onto some kind of alley) to a "Business Suite." I guess it was called that because it was set up with a fax machine and desk, but our extra $10 got us a two-room suite that was bigger than many New York apartments. Two full baths, a beautiful king bedroom, and a spacious comfortable living room. The windows looked out over the Bay and included a view of the fireworks over Alcatraz. Best fireworks display ever! And the most romantic surprise I’d ever had. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to repeat history for our 15th anniversary next year!
What are your favorite memories/traditions? What did you do for the holiday?
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1 comment:
What great memories! I love how holidays can make us think about our past and all the fun times, and inspire us to create more.
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