Photoessay # 26 - Girl Scout Picnic

Yesterday evening, we went to the end of year girl scout picnic at a beautiful park overlooking the sound. Not too many people there but still fun. The most striking person there was a big guy, a dad. Strong buff kind of man in a muscle shirt, in other circumstances, he could be One Tough Customer. He was running the barbecue at the Girl Scout picnic. It was clear, if you wanted a hot dog, you were welcome to have one, in fact as many as you wanted. But you had to get the hot dog from him...because he was Running The Barbecue. He never left his spot, this was his deal. On chatting with him, he may have been a security guard or a firefighter, he looked the part. He mentioned that he grew up in a very rough neighborhood, where 12 year old kids often were heroin addicts. It was clear that this was not going to be the case with his little girl. And if that meant that he was barbecuing hot dogs at the Girl Scout Service Unit picnic, so be it. Fine with him. Would you like one?

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How we often forget the beauty of the northwest. Part of the park does include the beach below; bluff above gives a panoramic view of the Puget Sound with Bainbridge Island in the background. The fire crackles in the fireplace in the middle of some convenient cement benches. The scouts are enjoying their s'mores (roasted marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars), plenty of charred marshmallows from that fire. A scout made me one that I enjoyed quite a bit. Maybe some dads are not paying too much attention, but they ARE present. One leader did point out the bucket of water in the foreground to her troop members. "See", she said "the girl scouts always have their bucket of water near the campfire in case you need it" The light is fading towards the summer evening, soon there will be a sunset on that vista. A little chill in the air but plenty of time to make s'mores.