The Paul Picnic, 2012

The thirteenth annual Paul Picnic was held today.  The first one was hosted by Paul's best friend, Kag, in 1999, shortly after Paul's death.  There has been a picnic at some time during the year every year since then.  It's kind of like the Gilbert Dinner.  We all know that the event started when Paul died, but it's become just a time to get together with friends and have a good time. We're the only "old guys" who come.

The original plan had been that Ned and Marta were going to spend last night at my mother's house and then drive Jeri to the picnic, but Ned got sick and missed both the birthday party and the picnic.  This did, however, leave Jeri with no way to get to the picnic.  We decided it would give us a chance for one more quick visit with Lacie and Bri, so we said we'd drive down and get her.

Sadly, we didn't get there in time to see the grandkids, but we did get to take a "goodbye picture" as Jeri said goodbye to Grandma again.

We got to the picnic around 1 p.m. and added our food to the table.   I had made lots of stuffed eggs, and Jeri had packed up all the leftover food from last night's birthday dinner, including a vat of spaghetti and meatballs and the leftover birthday cake (I had almost made a larger one...I'm glad I didn't!)

The most fun thing was a bunch of the little girls decided to set up a "spa" and give various spa treatments to everybody who wanted it.

(In case you can't figure out #4, it's "cucumber."   People also got cups of tea with their spa treatments.

Paul got a massage.

Jen and Lindsay got the cucumber treatment.

Sue got a manicure.

Jeri got the works, including foot massage.

We stayed until about 4, by which time it was getting cold and people were starting to pack up and leave.  Walt and I said our goodbyes to Jeri, who was flying back to Boston at midnight.  Walt opened the trunk of the car to put all the leftover food in it and discovered Jeri's luggage.  He had to walk all the way back to the picnic ground, she came back with him, and then he helped her carry it all back up the hill again.  But at least we discovered it before we drove home!