Swedish Family Picnic

Yesterday, I attended our annual Swedish Family Picnic. I hadn't been in nearly twenty years. The old guard is older, the mid-range folks rangier and there were a lot of young'uns whom I'd never met before in attendance. Overall, it was a relaxing afternoon amid the redwoods. 

Swedish Family Picnic, 2019

Cousin Bill made it down to the picnic, too. He's slated to move to Reno next weekend, so it was nice to be able to wish him well. 

Horseshoes game with Bill and my husband

My Dad revived the annual tradition, after a handful of quiet years, back in the 1980s. After Dad died in 2002, the picnic organizing duties were handed off to a cousin called Carol. Since Carol's taken over, the duties seem to move from family member to family member. In order to secure the same spot every year--the picnic began back in the 1930s--one has to show up just as the park opens to nab the cluster of tables right by a massive, fallen redwood. This old redwood has seen all of our footprints on it over the past many years. 

Cousin Carol brought along my Dad's carefully curated Swedish Family Picnic photo album that she had inherited. Dad had arranged all the photos around funny captions he'd written. He had been able to nab pictures of picnics past dating back from the 50s. It was a treat to view the album. 

I'm very glad I attended the picnic although it was the most standing I've done since the foot injury & resultant nerve issues last September. There was discomfort, but I pushed through it as best I could. -glad I did. 

I will leave you with a photo of a photo (forgive the glare) from the Family Picnic photo album: Great-grandpa Axel (one of the reasons this picnic all began), my grandmother, two of her siblings (and one spouse) & cousin Doreen. 

Swedish Family Picnic, ca. late 1960s

Scenic Route

Along Lobitos Creek Rd.

View from the car

The husband and I took a short trip down the coast today. We drove the scenic route to Redwood City in search of possibly finding a second-hand desk. After a few days of good rain, the skies 'round here are clear and the air no longer smells of smoke. It really was a perfect day for a drive. 

I had thought we'd take the usual route from the ocean, going east on HWY 92 at Half Moon Bay, but the hubs suggested we take the road he sometimes cycles along to get to work. Having grown up here, I thought I knew all the roads going inland from the coast chiefly because there aren't very many, but I had no idea where we were going. We took a left turn off the highway just south of Half Moon Bay onto a street called Verde. After a few minutes, we veered left at a fork in the road and found ourselves on Lobitos Creek Road. I had no idea these roads even existed, but, really, why would I? This area is still primarily farmland. The only cars usually found here are driven by area locals, not day-trippers like us. Lobitos Creek is a narrow wind full of hairpin turns coursing through some lovely countryside. 

More Lobitos Creek

About 15 minutes into our drive along Lobitos, eucalyptus, coastal scrub & pine gave way to a massive grove of redwoods. Entering the grove, the air changed and the temperature dropped slightly. Ferns, moss & the big trees were our new driving companions, as it were. 

Entering the Redwood grove

Reaching the end of the road

After a leisurely drive through the redwoods, we made our way to town. We struck out on the desk search, but did enjoy the journey it took to get there.