I’m sitting in high chair to the right at Metzler reunion picnic
Your thoughts on al fresco eating and family reunions
Thank you!
Wordless Wednesday: Outdoor Eating
by MarianBeaman | Jun 19, 2019 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized | 61 comments
When I was a child, I loved to picnic outside. Now, the mosquitoes seem to only come after me. Great photo, Marian!
Jill, you must give off the pheromones that mosquitoes like! I’m glad you also attract hummingbirds, a more amiable species. I’m glad you liked the ancient photo.
Good morning, Marian! I love those highchairs set up in the woods! 🙂
I love eating outside at sidewalk cafés and waterfront restaurants. Eating outside at our own house seems like too much effort, and there are too many bugs.
We are just about to have an outdoor lunch on the back patio with our Congolese friends who have come to visit some relatives and churches here. I have just a few minutes before they arrive to thank you for the great picture and for the reminder that the work is worth it because of the memories we make!
I agree: Often outside cafes and restaurants have fans that blow away the pests. And, yes, picnics at home mean all the food must be carried outside, with a reverse (and tiring) effort afterwards. Thanks, Merril!
🙂
One of my favorite ways to dine, outside on my patio surrounded by a well groomed garden. in Florida, Spring and Fall (also known as Winter in some locales) are the only times suitable for such delights. Scents of jasmine, waft the air with early morning coffee, hummingbirds flitting from blossoms of lantana in open spaces, and birds warming up their morning voices.
One of the great joys in life. Thanks Marian for reminding me.
I have visited your gorgeous garden patio in May. I don’t remember the birds, but I was thrilled seeing the glorious blooms all around, a virtual Garden of Eden. You describe the setting beautifully. Thank you!
What an enchanting photograph! We often eat outdoors, not just when travelling, but when we had the house or round my in-laws. I swear food tastes better al fresco!
I agree: Food tastes better al fresco! I wonder why that is. The fresh air, I suppose, and being in nature. Thanks for the mention here, Fatima!
I firmly believe that humans are meant to spend more time outdoors and I fear that in our western society we are all cocooned in our centrally heated houses and offices, which is not always healthy. I think part of my SAD years ago was due to that and now that I spend more time sitting outside my motorhome, I seem to have got over that. No SAD in the last 2 years!
Good for you, no SAD in the last two years. That’s because you recognized the problem and did something about it! 🙂
I totally agree that four walls can hem us in with negative thoughts. Some time ago I recognized that worry seemed to flee when I’m out in my garden or taking a walk. In between computer work this morning, I helped in the lawn and now am going to my Pilates class. Then, nap time!
If we don’t take care of ourselves, no one else will. Right?
Yay for us, and thanks for commenting again, Fatima!
That’s a precious picture, Marian.
I’m trying to remember the last time I ate outdoors. I believe it was when my husband had his motorcycle, before he crashed it in 2014. We stopped at a hamburger joint and ate at a table next to the bike. Riding on the motorcycle was fun but scary. My husband wants to get another bike but he is 70. So, no!
I did eat outdoors a lot as a child. We had no air conditioning, so during certain times of the year we were more comfortable outside. Now I am spoiled by the indoor temperature controlled climate. 😁
It sounds like your memories of eating outdoors are fraught with images of that motorcycle accident.
In our state, air conditioning is more appealing than bugs or 90* degree temps, so I agree with your conclusion, Linda Lee!
How much work everyone used to go to, to have a family picnic or reunion outside. Now we have so much gear–which maybe makes it easier (not sure, though, storing and maintaining equipment like picnic tables, lawn chairs, coolers, and the latest “have to haves.”
This photo reminds me of how our family would have a picnic anywhere while traveling, even just spreading out an old quilt or blanket on grass beside the road. We would stop in a local grocery, pick up fixin’s such as bread, cold meat, sliced cheese, lemonade or chocolate milk in a quart cardboard container, chips, and of course Twinkies (ooh ugh, now) for dessert. Lunch for probably less than $8 for a family of 6. I wish I could share the picture of us and our old green 1950ish Chevy, a blanket spread out, and one of my sisters holding her skirt, and maybe crying a little bit because someone had spilled the juice or chocolate milk on her dress. You started some wonderful reminiscing here, Marian.
On our trips to Europe we did a lot of picnicking. Just visiting a grocery story for some of the items you mentioned, and voila! – lunch on the grass with a blanket. If you’ve never blogged about picnicking with your 1950s Chevy, here’s your chance, Melodie!
I’m glad this post sparked pleasant memories.
So sweet to see the children sitting in high chairs. I used to love family picnics outside. I agree with fatimasaysell. Food seem to taste better outside.
Even without the crinkly edges, you can tell this is an old, old photo. Neither of those high chairs was collapsible, probably brought from home in the trunk. 🙂
that’s very grand and lovely Marian! Picnic, al fresco, on the patio, by the sea, in the woods, in the mountains, on a rug with all that glorious spread of food – and one’s family and friends and other surroundings, food for the soul – bliss – 🙂 Thanks Marian, very evocative! (food always is)..
As you point out, food with friends nurtures both body and soul. I admire you for taking trips to various locales with your family . . . and sometimes with friends. Bliss, I agree!
Food is always better eaten outdoors. In Spain we eat outdoors almost all year round. I loved the outdoor family reunion picnics we had when I was a child. We still do them every 5 years now. Next one coming up in 2020. That is a fabulous picture!
You definitely picked the right country for hospitable temps. A picnic in Spain sounds appealing right now. We are in the rainy season through September, very humid; I imagine Spanish summers are pleasant, depending on the altitude.
I’m glad you enjoyed the photo, Darlene!
How timely. Tomorrow the Showalters, 69 of us, will gather at Mountain Lake Lodge. We will have individual cabins and a group space. A brand-new pool will probably be the star attraction. There may be al fresco dining, since we will have up to eight meals while we are there. I am sure Owen and Julia will want to have some blanket meals outside while they visit us for Grandparent Camp the following week. I enjoyed spotting a milk can in the background of your fascinating picture.
You are the first to mention the milk can, Shirley. Several of my uncles were dairy farmers. It may have been Uncle Clyde’s, Leroy’s, or Abe’s meadow. You know all about cows in meadows, maybe picnics too as a child.
Your extended family knows how to plan for fun. Blessed be the ties that bind!
Eating outside, hmmm, a good reminder, Miriam! I just made a date with an older aunt to have a picnic near our Dana Pt. harbor. And I recently talked my husband into bringing sandwiches to our Mission Viejo lake so we could enjoy the wildlife while having lunch. My family is very large, almost too large for one person to host anymore so I organized a “family fall fun day” last year at our nearby lake and 30+ family members came! What fun it was!
You apparently are the mistress of al fresco lunches, Kas. I bet we’ll see some of the action on your Facebook pages, which I enjoy. Family Fall Fun Day sounds like the work is spread around, and no one feels too much pressure for food prep. I imagine your family appreciates your organizing the fete!
Wonderful memento, Marian. I have sweet memories of every time (when young and old) we ate outside with my parents in the summer. It wouldn’t happen often for main meals, but tea time was often had at the plastic table and chairs on the green grass, parasol protected us from the sun’s rays. Yes, another thing I will miss when I visit my parents in their new flat in the future. I don’t think their balcony is big enough for four. 🙂
I’m glad the post prompted some little girl memories, Liesbet. When you visit your parents in the future, maybe you can find a park for a picnic. Hmmmm
I LOVE eating outdoors, whether its on my own deck or at any number of restaurants on the downtown mall that offer outside dining. I especially love one restaurant that also has a classical guitarist who plays at Sunday brunch under the trees. It’s almost like being in Paris.
Transport me anywhere right now, Joan. Ever several months of nose-to-the-grindstone, we are talking about a getaway not too far away soon.
Charlottesville a la Paris sounds grand. With a guitar serenade too. Heaven!
I have just finished preparing a patio lunch for our Congolese friends who are coming for a visit to their relatives and friends. It requires a bit more work, but it’s worth the effort for the memories we make!
Your Congolese friends will love what you prepare wherever you eat. I imagine Manitoba is a hospitable place for picnics right now. Your flowers are gorgeous, Elfrieda!
I like al fresco dining, but only for special occasions, not daily. I don’t have much in the way of family so I’ve only been to two reunions– one as a kid, one as an adult. Can’t say I was taken with either event, says the introvert.
Introverts are “creative kinds,” the name of my web guy’s website. I don’t think he’s into picnics either, but he told me he planned his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary nonetheless. On the Myers-Briggs I straddle the middle, but more one the e-side. One thing I’ve noticed at picnics, people who would use a knife and fork, feel free to pick up their fried chicken with their hands.
Now you got me going . . . ! (You do that to people, Ally, as I’ve noticed on your blog.)
Hi Linda! I love to ride! Suggest you guys get a 3 wheeler; very comfortable and stable….just as much fun as a two; I like your comment. My boyfriend and I are jumping on one of his Harleys soon but not when it’s 100 degrees or more…LOL!
🙂
Thanks, cactusflower. We have discussed getting a trike. But — my husband came too close to dying in the last bike crash. Two weeks in ICU, almost losing his leg — and cognitively he hasn’t been quite the same ever since. So we’re sticking to the cage from now on.
Our last ride together, before the crash, was with Bikers Against Bullies. Not a bad finale. 😊
Enjoy your riding days. Full leathers and a good helmet: that’s what kept my husband from dying on impact when he crashed on Interstate 40 just outside of Albuquerque, doing about 75 miles per hour. Speaking of his helmet, he had a long scratch across the top from the time that a large deer, a buck, jumped over him as he was riding through Ragland, New Mexico, between Tucumcari and Clovis. Wow, huh? Every time I see or hear a bike, I pray for that rider’s protection and I thank God for saving my husband. I’m saying a prayer now for you and your boyfriend. God bless.
I see you and CactusFlower connected here. Great!
You, Linda Lee, have quite a story, especially with the large deer scratching your husband’s helmet as he hopped over him riding. I gasped when I read that!
Like you, I pray for motorcycle riders I see in the interstate, especially the foolish guys who switch in and out of traffic without a helmet. God have mercy!
God have mercy indeed.
Wow! I had no idea; so sorry that happened! Yes, then you should stick to the cage and keep your memories….nothing like it is there? Thanks for your prayers!!!
Boy does that bring back memories, Marian; even the edges of those pictures like in the family album. We did a lot of picnics outdoors, mostly at parks and our reunions were more than 100 people on my Moms side for the most part. We had a lot of relatives all over the USA so it was something for the adults to plan. It was always fun to get together and I can’t remember the bugs being that bad; mmmmm, I wonder what changed? Thanks for sharing that post!
Everybody knew that the Metzler reunion was the third Sunday in July, a potluck picnic in the Lititz Springs Park. One time that date coincided with my mother’s 80th birthday. That tradition hadn’t started when the photo of me in a high chair was taken many years earlier.
Yes, it was a lot of work, probably for the Moms! Thanks for posting your memories here, Cactus Flower!
You are so welcome!
🙂
I love how eating outdoors in those days involved moving the regular kitchen furniture out of doors. There was no patio furniture at our house either.
Had patio furniture even been invented then? Ha! At least it hadn’t been popular in those days.
My folks were farm families, and it was SO long ago. Thanks for pointing that out, Arlene.
Awwww! Love it!
Thanks, Lady Fi!
We are on holiday in Suffolk this week Marian . We have a small cottage on a farm and have done a lot of eating al fresco in many country pubs . When the weather fits it’s the only way to eat …love it
Cherryx
How charming to eat outdoors in Suffolk. You know I live in the soggy American South, wonderful in winter but suffocating in summer.
Right now we are enjoying vicarious visits to British villages, some in Wales on TV with narrator Penelope Keith. I fancy thinking that one of them might be yours. There is a contest to find the BEST village; right now villagers are competing in heats to get to the semi-finals. Very exciting and picturesque!
Enjoy your well-deserved vacation. If I could press a button, I’d join you for a day or two! 🙂
I love Penelope Keith, that program is really good , glad you’re enjoying it .
Just wanted to say the pot of tea and fresh scones are waiting for you ☕️🥧
Cherryx
With or without raspberry jam, I’m in!
YUM! 🙂 xo
It seems our largest family gatherings any more are funerals and wedding, which is so sad. My grandparents always talked about big parties with cousins, etc. and they got together every year well into their 80’s. We have trouble just getting together with our siblings and families once a year.
As for picnics, Hubby & Little Guy rarely go “outside” and Big Guy works outside year round, so he A/C during down times is a delight. I enjoy my chair on the back porch as much as possible. Last week, I took a blanket out in the yard with a proper cup of tea and my camera. It was a delight to share space with a cardinal and some bumblebees! Did wonders for my soul! 🙂
For the last five years, it’s been funerals for us too, as you know from my blog posts. My sisters and I lament the fact that some of our children’s cousins don’t know each other very well. PA is a long way from FL, so geographical reasons are the main culprit.
You work hard, and I’m glad to hear that you are taking care of yourself outdoors. And I wouldn’t expect any less from you than “a proper cup of tea and camera”! 🙂
Great photo. The image (minus caps) reminds me of Sunday afternoon church gatherings near my Grandparent’s farm in Missouri. First the service and Grandma singing in her big mezzo voice. Then the food and fun.
You captured so much in three lines, Elaine, as you always do.
Mezzo sounds big: I wonder if Grandma had girth to match her mirth.
I don’t remember anyone murmuring about mosquitoes or flies, but there must have been some since this was a cow meadow. If you squint, you can see the milk can on the left.
Thanks for the reminiscence here!
What a precious photo! 🙂
Yes, an oldie but a goodie! The picture was blown out, so my in-house photo enhancer brought it back to life . . . glad you enjoyed it!
Great job Cliff, lol 🙂
I’ll pass this along. Thanks for noticing, Debby!
🙂