TheBanyanTree: The Company Picnic

[Margaret R. Kramer]

My childhood summer weekends were consumed with family reunions and summer
picnics.  My mother had a wide social circle as well as an amazing ability
to keep up with relatives.  She hated to travel, so I think for her, these
weekend gatherings made up for the lack of a summer cabin.

My summer weekends as an adult are much more mundane.  I travel in no social
circles.  I make a minimal attempt, Christmas cards, at keeping up with
relatives.  I spend weekends cleaning the house and working in the yard.  My
treat is to take a bike ride somewhere or to curl up on the deck and read.
We have no summer cabin or want one.  We certainly couldn’t afford one.

The one picnic we are invited to and do attend is my company’s summer picnic
(no word on the other job yet – will email interviewer on Monday).  I picked
the place – it is Lake Elmo Park Preserve
(http://www.co.washington.mn.us/info_for_residents/parks_division/parks_and_
trails/lake_elmo_park_reserve/) and my manager approved it.  The park is a
prairie-like landscape with a beach, boat launch, fishing pier, a nice
playground, and lots of trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding.
The group picnic pavilions were large and comfortable with electric stoves
and a sinks, plus clean bathrooms.

The sink was important, because there was to be a water balloon contest.  I
left for picnic early with our receptionist in order to beginning filling
the 1,000 balloons with water.  Kids began arriving (our company encourages
family attendance) and helped fill the balloons.  Most of the boys expressed
the wish of “chucking” the balloons at someone, preferably their fathers.
Yep, leave it to the boys.

As people arrived, the little cliques began to form, but it was a lot less
stilted than last year.  Maybe because we’re a smaller group and know each
other better that people were less likely to stay in their tight formations.
True mingling began as we ate and took off when the kids were allowed to
grab the water balloons and start throwing them.  There was no game or
contest, just sheer fun.

Someone brought out a HUGE super soak and the fun moved up a notch.
Everyone was heaving water at everyone else.  My boss, who is going to India
in a week for nine months to a year, was especially vicious.  Everyone was a
target.  My boss’ boss’ boss attended, and instead of his presence having
the affect of making the picnic more stilted than usual, everyone was more
relaxed, especially as he joined the fun, alternately getting soaked and
soaking others.

As the afternoon wore on, people began leaving or heading towards the beach,
and Ray and I stayed to help clean up.  My older grandson said this was
better than last year, although they didn’t stay long enough to really
partake in the fun, but went to the beach with their parents.  And that was
a compliment, because he LOVED the other place where we had our picnic last
year with the batting cages, paddle boats, a petting zoo, etc.

Perhaps because there was less structure and the activities were more
spontaneous, maybe that made the afternoon more fun.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com

The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
~Wallace Stevens