Sunday, September 23, 2007

Ending summer on a high note

Happiness is a Sunday just like today.

It started with early-morning grocery shopping. Don't you just love how pretty the apples and onions and zucchini look in their neat, symmetrical towers-- before the crowds of shoppers pull them down? With produce in hand, I headed home-- with fresh coffee, too-- for some chopping, dicing, roasting and dressing. An hour or so later, my kitchen was filled with the beginnings of a picnic: roasted vegetables, homemade (by Katy) garlic aioli, and a red potato and sweet sugar pea salad.

Purgatory has never been as inviting as it was this afternoon. Once the friends were assembled (and introductions made, as this was an experiment in putting several groups of friends together) we feasted. Everyone brought something. Thanks to Vickie for the most succulent grapes ever; to Ben and Chuck for the sweetest, chunky green salad-- oh! and for the wine (without which our day might have been very different); to Jay for the cheese pizza (he remembered the vegetarians!); to Anthony for the chips (not even damaged by the saddlebags); to Erica for sturdy plates and her travel kit of utensils; and to Katy for indulging my excessiveness and for whisking.

We ate well, we hiked hard, and we ate again. This was my kind of picnic. :) And it was followed by a motorcycle ride (what an amazing feeling, to watch the world pass by so quickly, and so close) and ice cream-- two of my favorite things.

When can we plan a repeat performance, friends?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.