The sun dawned golden and warm this morning after the stormy gale that blew through yesterday. Even before breakfast I could tell Boo was in a festive mood, hungry for a departure from our typical routine. He asked if we could have a picnic at the park; I told him I would think about it. Then we scurried around eating and dressing so that we could get out the door and have him delivered to school on time.
The truth is most Fridays we do something special. Boo gets out of school thirty minutes earlier than usual, which provides us with just enough extra time to enjoy a picnic lunch before Tukes passes out for his nap.
Today it was simple (it almost always is) peanut butter sandwiches and apple slices packed in my old metal Cracker Jack lunch box, our picnic quilt, and a pretty day. Boo was excited to see the supplies sitting next to me in the car when I picked him up at lunch time. We headed for a little neighborhood park not far from home. Really it's not much of a park -- just some big trees, open space, and a couple of pieces of old playground equipment -- it must be the quiet setting that appeals to the boys because there are far better playgrounds elsewhere in town.
The ground was still damp so we spread our blanket on top of a concrete culvert, sitting in the sun to eat our lunch. Suddenly the culvert became a raft in the ocean. We spotted a whale and some dolphins; we caught a shark that we cooked and ate. Boo jumped in the water and went for a swim. We watched boats go by, even a submarine. It was quite a lunch.
We ate vanilla wafers for dessert. The boys ran and played, enjoying the sun's warmth. I impressed them both by climbing to the top of the jungle gym. Tukes happily sat down in the damp sand to explore with his hands. I gave Boo challenges; exercises in following directions. "Run go jump on our raft, then run and touch the picnic table, then go tag the big tree." Of course I commentated while he ran, eager to fulfill the challenge.
And then, it was time to go home. I threw our blanket and lunch box in the back of the car, snapped everyone in their seats, and we went home to rest. The boys had fun, I had fun. The simple hour in the park was a break we all needed and enjoyed.
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