A Day of Beautiful Food

Oriental weather this morning was unsurpassed perfection. We farmers' market vendors enjoyed our three hours gazing at shoppers, selling our goods, lolling in the light breeze and warm sun, and commenting on what a grand day it was after such a horrible winter. My friend Christine brought some brilliant red radishes to sell.

And Joe, on the other side of me, sold all the fabulous fresh strawberries he picked just last night at his farm. I bought ten pints.

Julia traipsed up with the puppies on leash. She's looking so grown up these days.

We dashed away from the market, and quick-as-quick drove out to Green Bay Marina for Cricket's annual picnic. Green Bay is a throw-back mobile-home park and marina. To walk into the sandy lanes of this place, under the pine boughs, to the lapping of water on hulls, is to drift into 1967. Life is slower there, and finer.
Cricket provides the chicken and BBQ.

There's Cricket, sitting in her chariot, surrounded by a few fans.

Is this a picture of peaceful loveliness, or what?

These tables were groaning with the weight of food, and a half hour later, we were all groaning after transferring the food to our tummies!

I photographed this banana pudding because it was so beautiful, fresh from the oven.

Adam is now getting around on crutches, and I think he's done with the wheelchair altogether. He hates the walker because it makes his hands/wrists hurt so much.

Cricket always invites our church to come to the picnic. And she always invites all her tenants at Green Bay to come to church, so she is very even handed about her invitations :) She's a dear. Here are a few church folks, waiting for lunch time.

I'd already eaten my lunch when I spotted this brimming plate at another table. I think the little girl sitting there thought I was strange to come take a picture of her mommy's food. It looks like the perfect picnic plate.

After discovering that our long-neglected boat has a hull full of water (sigh), we came home, I send Adam to bed for a long afternoon nap, and I tackled the strawberries.

I used about half of them and made six pint jars of jam. I always use the upside-down method for setting my jams instead of a hot water bath. I've never, ever had it fail. I learned this from the amazing women in Iowa I knew -- those ladies know all there is to know about canning!

Beautiful.

Fig preserves and pear jam may sit on the shelf for months at a time, but this strawberry jam will be gone in weeks.
I had to open one right away because Adam declared me must have chocolate ice cream, strawberry jam, and fresh hot coffee for dinner.

So we did.