Picnic | The Beauty Around Us

Posts tagged ‘Picnic’

Fourth of July Festivities

Our hometown of Warren, PA throws a big party for the 4th of July holiday. Festivities began this year on Saturday, July 2. We didn’t participate in all of the 4th of July festivities. I will share with you the events in which we did participate.

We rode to Betts Park on the afternoon of July 3. We arrived there close to 2:00 pm and stayed for about an hour. We saw the Budweiser Clydesdales and the Birds of Prey exhibit.

Budweiser Clydesdales

The Clydesdale horses pulled the Budweiser wagon through the parking lot a few times.

The Tamarack Wildlife Center Birds of Prey exhibit included three owls and two hawks.

This is Jasper, an Eastern Screech-Owl. Jasper was found injured in the middle of a country road near Albion, PA and brought to the Center for medical care. With damage to one eye and ear, he was not able to be released and required surgical removal of an eye.

This is Willow, an Eastern Screech-Owl. Willow and her family of three owlets were rescued from a city park in Erie, PA when the tree limb holding their nest was cut down. Her story received coverage in local newspapers and television. The owlets survived with no permanent damage and were released on Presque Isle once grown; their mother, however, suffered a wing fracture that would prevent her return to the wild.

This is “Spirit” the white Red-tailed Hawk.
Spirit is not releasable due to injuries he suffered when caught in a leg hold trap.

This is Sophia, a Barred Owl. After being hit by a car, Sophia was brought to Tamarack to be treated for a broken wing. She healed well enough to have limited flight. However, because the break occurred near Sophia’s elbow, she is now unable to fully extend her wing, and cannot fly well enough to survive in the wild.

This is Alice, a Cooper’s Hawk.
Alice was found on a farm in Cochranton,
unable to fly because her wrist bones had been severely damaged.

We saw the Betts Park fireworks display from the grounds of the Warren Manor Nursing Home, with friends visiting a family member who is a patient there. The nursing home provided hot dogs, chips and pop for patients and their guests at a reasonable cost of $2.00 for all. Three types of cookies were passed around to everyone as well. I thought it quite nice that the nursing home does this for its patients.

On Independence Day we watched a parade and attended a picnic.

The parade was in downtown Warren and marked its 69th year. We watched the parade on Pennsylvania Avenue, at the southwest corner of Hickory Street Bridge, across from Kwik Fill. We watched the parade with our friends Paul, Debbie, Scott and Donna. Our daughter and granddaughters were IN the parade. Harper and June rode their tricycles in the parade. The girls rode behind the Lather Salon van, until they couldn’t ride any longer.

Harper and June tuckered out just before reaching the Hickory Street Bridge. They rode their tricycles a long, long way.

Harper and June rode rest of the way in the parade in the back of the Lather Salon van.

The parade began at 11:00 am and ended around 1:45 pm. The following slideshow contains about half of the photographs that I took, while watching the parade. The slideshow is about 8 1/2 minutes long. I hope that you find it enjoyable!

At 3:30 pm we went to our friends’ house for a picnic, which was attended by ten additional friends as well as family and other friends of our hosts. We sat around a campfire, enjoying each others’ company, as well as hot dogs and a variety of dishes brought to share. It was a comfortable and relaxing couple of hours and a great end to a wonderful 4th of July holiday.

Summer Picnic

This past Saturday afternoon we went to a picnic at our friends Mark and Faye’s house. Mark and Faye provided hot dogs and all the fixings, clams and corn on the cob.

This is how Mark cooked the corn on the cob.

Those attending the picnic brought a dish to pass.

Bob and I brought a cheese and pepperoni tray with crackers.

The food was plentiful and tasted great.

Scott looks like he is enjoying an ear of corn.

It rained, while we were at the picnic. The rain fell lightly at first but gained momentum. We had quite a heavy downpour that lasted a few minutes.

It is raining!
Note the red car with its top down!

The rain caused people to scatter. Some people took shelter inside the garage; some people took shelter in the shed; a few people took shelter under a tree; and some people took shelter under two canopies.

What’s a little rain, when you are having fun!

After about 20 minutes of rain, the sun returned.

Thank you, Mark and Faye, for hosting a great picnic. We had a great time!

Backyard Picnic

Bob’s daughter, Stacey, and our twin 3-year-old granddaughters joined Bob and me for a backyard picnic this afternoon.

Our picnic fare included hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, macaroni salad, potato chips and strawberries.

A folding child-size picnic table would be a nice addition to our pavilion, but the table and chairs that the girls use inside the house worked well.

Stacey’s mom told me that Harper and June knew about S’mores from one of their storybooks but had not yet eaten one. We introduced the girls to S’mores this afternoon.

June was upset, at first.
She just wanted the chocolate.

We finally convinced June to take a bite of the S’mores.
All she got that first bite was marshmallow.

I don’t think June liked how gooey a S’mores is.

Harper sat down on the pavilion step to eat her S’mores.

Harper enjoyed her S’mores.

We had a good time today and look forward to the next picnic.

Benezette Elk Camera Club Picnic

I recently joined the Benezette Elk Camera Club. Most of the club’s social get-togethers are on the Internet, via Facebook. A picnic is held twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the Fall. Club members come to Benezette from near and far to socialize in person and, of course, to see the elk.

Bob and I attended yesterday’s picnic. We traveled by motorcycle. It was a chilly 43 degrees when we left home at 8:00 AM, but it warmed up nicely through the day. It didn’t get so warm, though, that my leather jacket didn’t feel comfortable while riding. Bob and I had a great time at the picnic. It was good to meet everyone and chat face to face.

This is a photograph of the club members (and friends and spouses) who attended this year’s Spring picnic. Thank you, David, for giving me permission to use your photograph in my blog. David is a fine photographer. You can find his photographic artistry at his Facebook page, David L. Schmude Photography.

Bob and I did not go to look for elk, as the others did. We didn’t want to ride when it was dark outside! We did, however, see 3 elk on our way home, not far from the picnic grounds. The elk were grazing near the road, on private property. Elk are impressive, especially when they are close by and you happen to be on a motorcycle!

We hope to see everyone again in September at the Benezette Elk Camera Club fall picnic!

Company Picnic

Bob and I spent Saturday, June 16, in Erie at Waldameer where we attended his company’s annual picnic.

We rode the motorcycle, my first long ride since knee surgery. Actually, it has been a lot longer than that since I have ridden the motorcycle. I didn’t ride much last season. I rode OK, however, the cool night air on our way back home made my knee ache.

We ate both lunch and dinner at Waldameer. Lunch was served from 12:00-4:00 PM. Our lunch choices included carrots and celery sticks, macaroni and potato salads, baked beans, hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream. After lunch we wandered about the park. The only ride we rode this year was the park train. We rode the train twice. The first time the train broke down and we had to walk a little ways back to the station.

Broken-down train

The last time we attended Bob’s company picnic was in 2010. I noticed some new rides since our last visit.

This was the first time I saw North End.
There are a few new rides, as well as new statues and a fountain.

In past years I take lots of pictures of those who attend the picnic. I took only a few pictures this year.

This is Dave.
He attempted to take a picture of Bob and me, while we were on the park train.

Dawn and Rod

Jerry and Bob

Karen, Jesse and their granddaughter

Dinner was served from 4:00-5:00PM. Our dinner choices included carrots and celery sticks, macaroni and potato salads, garden salad, BBQ chicken, sausage, beef on wick and ham sandwiches and ice cream.

At 5:30 PM names were drawn for several prizes (only employee and retirees names were included in these drawings). Bob didn’t win any prizes. He would have liked to had won the 8 wellness hours to get a day off work.

We played bingo soon after the drawings. We didn’t win anything playing bingo either, but we did have a good time.

Throughout the day we enjoyed the company of various people, Bob’s coworkers and their spouses (and families). I was most surprised when I saw Brett Fallon there. Brett is the owner and Founding/Artistic Director of the Dance Elite* Performance Company. We recognized each other right away. I met Brett two years ago at Warren’s Ribfest. We walked up to each other and expressed surprise at seeing each other at Waldameer.

Brett lives in Erie and stopped by to see Melanie, who had asked Brett to come see her at the picnic because she didn’t think she would know anyone. Well, Melanie being at the picnic was my second surprise of the day. I didn’t know that Melanie’s husband worked for the same company as my husband. I guess he has been there a year, working the second shift, in Bob’s department! Melanie and I met at Ribfest 2010, as well, the same day I met Brett. In addition to photographing Brett, while he danced at Ribfest 2010, I photographed Melanie’s two daughters as well. Melanie is the owner of Starlite Events by Design and Brett’s official manager. Melanie and I have been Facebook friends since July 2010 and never realized that our husbands worked at the same company!

A Day of Riding

Our hometown held its Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 3. We didn’t attend this year’s parade, opting instead to go for a motorcycle ride. It was such a gorgeous day, too beautiful not to ride! I hoped to see a parade in one of the towns that we drove through, but we did not see one.

We left Warren at 9:00 AM. We rode to Erie, PA by way of Findley Lake, NY.

First Glimpse of Findley Lake from Shadyside Rd. (southern terminus)

Findley Lake
It was a picture-perfect day.

Bicycle with Baskets of Flowers

a Bottle Tree

Findley Lake Anchor at Northern End of Lake

According to a plaque found near the anchor, the schooner “Mauntenee” was shipwrecked in Lake Erie near Ripley, NY during a gale storm on October 20, 1905. In 1906 George Fox transported the one-ton anchor using horses and a log cart to his Findley Lake home on North Road. He hung the anchor from the schooner’s life boat davit in his front yard. The Dunlap family later purchased the home and anchor. The anchor and davit were moved to this site in 1993.

From Findley Lake we rode to Presque Isle Downs & Casino. Earlier in the week Bob received a brochure from the casino, which stated that he had earned $35.00 in free slot play. Bob could use $7.00 free slot play each week for the next 5 weeks. Sunday, July 4th, was the end of the first week. Bob played the $7 in free slot play and lost. At one point he ran his winnings up to $14. Bob used only the free slot play; he didn’t spend any of his own money. We were at the casino for less than 30 minutes.

From the casino we continued on into Erie. We ate lunch at Steak ‘n Shake. Bob ordered a Frisco Melt with fries and a chocolate shake. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake.

After lunch we rode through Erie to Route 5, which we followed alongside Lake Erie to Rt. 394. By the time we reached Westfield, NY we were ready for for a break. We sat in Moore Park on a bench under a shade tree. The farmers market had ended shortly before we arrived. We watched as vendors took down canopies and loaded them and unsold merchandise into their vehicles. A short while later we walked across street to another park — The Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park. I have photographed this park in the past; however, I was always in a moving vehicle when I did so. This was the first time I was able to photograph the park standing still.

The Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park in Westfield, NY

This statue depicts a meeting between President Lincoln and Grace Bedell. In October 1860, eleven-year-old Grace sent Abraham Lincoln a letter urging him to grow a beard to improve his appearance. President Lincoln later met Grace.

Westfield Clock

We’re supposed to be at a friend’s house for a picnic by 4:00 PM; it’s time to leave Westfield!

We arrived at our friend Don’s house in Kennedy, NY around 4:15 PM. The turnout was smaller than expected. Ten of us enjoyed a picnic dinner of deviled eggs, marinated chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, and various desserts. I took a few photographs, but only Jank was in the mood for having his photograph taken. Because the others didn’t care to have their pictures taken, I will share only Jank’s picture with you.

Dog with Firewood

This is Jank. Isn’t he a beautiful dog? Jank belongs to Don, who hosted the picnic.

We returned home from the picnic a little after 8:00 PM. By 8:30 PM we were back on the motorcycle, en route Saybrook, PA. Saybrook is a small community located a short distance east of Warren. The reason we went to Saybrook was to see fireworks.

Please click on image to enlarge

This fireworks display was put on for a neighborhood block party. It was an excellent show, and we enjoyed sharing the event with Bob’s daughter, Stacey, and her boyfriend Mike.

Mike and Stacey, after the fireworks display

All total, we rode approximately 175 miles.

Company Picnic at Waldameer Park

On Saturday, June 19th, Bob and I attended his company picnic at Waldameer Amusement Park and Water World in Erie, PA.

We left home, via motorcycle, at 10:30 AM. The weatherman was forecasting 50% chance of rain, but we decided to risk getting wet. We didn’t see any rain on our way to Erie, although we did encounter a few wet roads. When we reached Waldameer, we learned that it had rained hard there at 11:00 AM.

We arrived at Waldameer around 12:30 PM. Lunch was served from 12:00 PM-4:00 PM. Our lunch choices included baby carrots, celery sticks, macaroni and potato salads, baked beans, hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream.

After lunch we wandered about the park. Next to our picnic pavilion was the Mega Vortex. This thrill ride was added last year. We didn’t attend the company picnic last year, so this was the first time we had seen the Mega Vortex.

Mega Vortex

Beginning on the right with the man in the striped shirt, he and the five individuals to his left are friends of ours.

Not far from the Mega Vortex was Dodgems.

Our friend Jerry

Jerry and his adult son enjoyed showing off their driving skills. I think they need to improve their driving skills, though, to avoid those head-on collisions!

We rode two rides — the Wacky Shack and the train.

I took this picture of our friend Roger and his son, Adam, while waiting in line for our turn to ride through the Wacky Shack. The Wacky Shack is a two-story ride. The cars follow along a dark, spooky path.

One of Bob’s coworkers and his family
on board the L. Ruth Express train

We watched Evolution of Dance at Waldameer’s Showtime Theater at 2:00 PM. Undoubtedly, Simon Cowell would have been critical of their performance. Some parts of the performance were good, so I would say that the show was enjoyable.

Evolution of Dance

Dinner was served from 4:00 PM-5:00 PM. Our dinner choices included baby carrots, celery sticks, macaroni and potato salads, garden salad, BBQ chicken, sausage, beef on weck, ham and ice cream.

We played bingo soon after the drawings. We didn’t win anything playing bingo either, but we did have a good time.

Bingo had not yet started.
Our friends’ son, David, is hopeful for a win.

My Bingo card; almost a winner.

Two attentive Bingo players

Throughout the day we socialized with Bob’s coworkers and their families. Spending time with our friends is the main reason that we attend the company picnic.

We left Waldameer after playing Bingo. We saw the most beautiful cloud formations — HUGE puffy white clouds emerging from horizon against a brilliant blue sky — on our way home.

Crab Apple Ridge Golf Course on Rt. 19 in Waterford, PA

When we reached Corry, those clouds started to look threatening.

Bob pulled out his Blackberry and checked out the weather. It looked like we might hit some rain on rest of our way home. We put on our rain gear in a parking lot across from Walmart on Rt. 6. It is a good thing that we did, as we did run into some rain on our way home. We returned home around 9:00 PM.