Sunday Happenings....

Family, friends, food & fun!

Here I sit on the computer, o.k., I am not really sitting on the computer but you get the idea!  It's mid August and in typical Pacific Northwest fashion the local weatherman is calling for rain!  I have yet to take a dip in our new pool and I am stuck with a head cold in the middle of August!  No one else in the family is sick, thank goodness ~ however I just wish I could have gotten this cold closer to the typical flu season and not for these last few weeks of summer!

Today is the day for our annual family & friends picnic, so as soon as I am done with this post I will be making a big pot of spaghetti & meatballs (or maybe just spaghetti, I forgot to check if I had hamburger).  Every year my parents host this event and get fresh Salmon that my Dad barbecues over a fire pit and everyone loves it!  I only get to nibble - darn seafood allergy!  We usually have around 50-75 people there and since it is a potluck there is always a wide variety of food.  My brother works at a refinery and they have a private park that employees can reserve, so we have the whole park to ourselves!  I am not sure how many acres it sits on but it is completely fenced, has a play area for the kids, a baseball field, horseshoe pit, basketball hoops, apple & other fruit trees, a complete kitchen with indoor dining!  The only drawbacks are portable toilets and giant mosquitoes!  Bug repellent is a must!  Weather permitting there is also a man made water slide for kids, but since today's forecast is for rain ~ I think I had better pack some rain gear and indoor games!

Here are a few images from past picnics, keep in mind I am many things but professional photographer is not one of them!

My Son and Mom at our 2010 picnic

Some of our 2010 desserts

My Dad ~ the grill master!

My daughters having fun on the playground

It's a great spot to fly kites - lots of room!

My Grandma (in the center)

My girls playing on the water slide!

A great place to gather!

The outdoor barbecue and smoker!

My mom in the kitchen

My daughter hitches a ride from Daddy!

It will be a great day - regardless of the pending rain or my head cold!  These gatherings are what makes precious memories and I look forward to today's memories!