Picnic Memories
Today was a beautiful day, so we decided to go to the Smokey Mountains, for a much needed, relaxing picnic. With my out of town family guests, children and grandchildren, our caravan headed out to the mountains. We anticipated cooler temperatures and the cool creek water to subdue the effects of 90+ degree temperatures at home, thus headed to the Chimney Campground above the Sugar-lands in the Great Smokey Mountains.
Having made this trip many times with my husband, children and extended family, the memories exploded in my mind. Today, I was content hanging around the picnic area. But, my memories brought images of jumping rocks to get to the other side, in order to sit on the biggest rock there. Often a foot would slip into the cool water, but it never deterred us from the adventure at hand. And then… there were the great little crawdads, hiding under the rocks, waiting for us to find them… in a hid and seek fashion. It was always a treat to find a small fish swimming by. We would stay in the creek, on the rocks, for hours, finally going home as the sun began to set for the day.
Today, our picnic food consisted of Subway sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies, brownies and drinks, all purchased as we left home to go to the picnic. In my memories, food was planed with great care, cooked and prepared to excellence, and teased us with the most wonderful smells, making the wait to eat almost unbearable. Sometimes, we would grill fish, chicken, hamburgers or hotdogs. The smell of the fire and food cooking is an aroma imbedded deep in my memory.
Today, there were no bears, only a lonely chipmunk and two woodchucks. In earlier days, we were visited by bears while dinning. On one occasion, we had taken our dachshund dog with us and were settled down to the feast. Our dog was on a leash, tied to a chair, enjoying a handout from little hands, when she suddenly began to growl and bark, in a very curious manner. She was leaping forward on her leash, trying to get loose. My husband took the leash, letting her go toward the object of her frustration. Going only a few feet, he suddenly stopped and yelled back for me and the kids to get into the car, as the object of the dogs irritation was a big black bear. We immediately ran for the car and my husband quickly picked up the brave dog and carried her to the car. We watched as the bear approached our table, stubbing his nose at the food we had so graciously left for him. Instead, he preferred the food on a table near us, staying quite a while as he picked food from the table. On another occasion, the bear was spotted… we ran for the car… and he indulged in our food… leaving us to make other eating arrangements. Most often, a bear or cub would simply stroll down the picnic area on his/her way to… somewhere… creating a great memory for the picnickers.
Oh, the memories, both old and new! Anytime families get together memories abound! Have a happy and safe Fourth of July… Independence Day… and make a few memories!
