Friday, May 08, 2009

Summer of Picnics #1


For my husband and I, picnics are a favorite date activity. When we were dating, we often went on picnic dates. Our favorite picnic spot in those days was the lake at Furman University. We whiled away many Saturday afternoons there.

These days it seems that going on picnics requires a bit more intentional planning. Maybe it's because we don't often have that many afternoons to while away anymore. There's yard work to do, a house to clean, always something to be done!

This summer I'm determined to dust off the picnic basket(s) and go on many picnics with my sweetie!

I'm planning on a picnic once a week. That may seem ambitious, but I figure that if I shoot for one a week, we should at least actually do a picnic at least twice a month that way. Instead of other years when we vowed to go on lots of picnics again and ended up going on one or none at all.

Picnics can be had just about anywhere and can be very easy on the budget. They can be simple or a bit more extravagant. I like to make our picnics a bit on the charming side because it's fun! A wicker basket, pretty tablecloth or old-fashioned picnic blanket and some fun foods can do a lot to add a touch of beauty to a simple lunch.

For our first picnic of the season, we headed out to a local garden just minutes from our house. Using ingredients that I had on hand, I packed a simple supper of egg salad sandwiches, veggie chips, cheese cubes, homemade pickles, celery sticks and brownies.

I've never used these silicone cupcake cups(a gift) for baking, but I've found that they are great for dividing small bits of food and condiments in larger lunch containers.

There are no tables at this garden but plenty of benches and wide retaining walls to sit on comfortably and set out a picnic on.

This garden is a prime spot for photo shoots. Often we'll see wedding photos being taken. This particular evening was "Prom Central". It took us a bit to find a spot away from the cameras so we settled in on a brick amphitheater-type stage away from the center of the garden.

The food was good and the scenery quite lovely!










Picnics. For us, they're definitely a finer thing!

**This post is part of Amy's Finer Things Friday!

6 comments:

Wendi said...

I love going on picnics. Great idea to use the baking cups!

Frugal Sara said...

Sounds wonderful. I love going on picnics! I am so glad the weather is getting warmer here and we are able to enjoy being outside!

Monica Wilkinson said...

I love it! Beautiful spot and what a charming table you set! :)

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

What a beautiful area! I'd love to do some picnics with the warmer weather. :D

Amy @ Finer Things said...

We often eat outside on our own picnic table, but don't often make the effort to go on an actual picnic. My kids would love that. Thanks for the reminder!

DarcyLee said...

What beautiful pictures! Picnics are a great way to enjoy the nice weather and step away from the day-to-day stuff that we get caught up in. Thanks for the reminder.