A Dinner for Dad

June 17, 2012

• Ham and Swiss on Dark Rye
• Potato Chips
• Watermelon
• Cherries
• Sangria
• Strawberries with Angel Food

A little over a week before Father's Day I received a gift. Maybe I should have recognized it as a hint, though I don't know if a connection between this gift and my Father's Day Dinner was intended. A large box was waiting for me when I got home from work. The address label showed it was from Harry and David for Father's Day. I wasn't going top open it until the big day arrived but Diane told me I should. (And I hadn't seen the "Open Immediately" notice on the side of the box.) Inside was a basked of fruit. Their wasn't a lot of fruit but it was packed on (not really in) a nice little wicker picnic basket.

As Father's Day approached, I started thinking about what I would fix for Sunday dinner, as I usually do during the course of the week. I've been thinking of making pizza from scratch, which I've never done, or maybe grilled pork chops, or glazed salmon, or pulled-chicken sandwiches. There are so many tempting things to choose from! My ruminations were brought to a halt, however, when Diane gently hinted that she and our daughter, Caryn, were making plans for Sunday and I would not need to cook. I welcomed the chance to take a day off and have them prepare food for me. I give Diane one day off from preparing dinner every week, which I know she appreciates.  I'm sure she would welcome additional days off from cooking.

Since I enjoy surprises, I didn't know, and didn't want to know, what they had in mind. (Around Christmas time you will never find me snooping, knowing what would be under the tree takes all the fun away.) The first hint came Sunday around noon. I was on Skype, talking to my father and other members of my family who had gathered to honor him and the other dads. Caryn and Diane went to the kitchen and food started to be packed into a cooler and that picnic basket. How nice, I love picnics! Good, simple food eaten outdoors in an informal and relaxed setting. But where were we going? I was thinking maybe one of the local city parks. That guess was proven wrong shortly after we started driving and headed out of town. Driving south on the freeway towards Santa Cruz, we exited short of the beaches (another incorrect guess) and headed into the mountains. The closer we got the more certain I became that our destination was Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Visiting the redwoods and walking in the cool shade of such awe-inspiring trees is always special. The picnic area was busy but not crowded and we had no trouble finding a place to park the car and a place to park ourselves.

Dinner was simple and very good. No cooking was involved. There was a lot of fresh fruit, wine, sandwiches, and chips. We sat underneath the trees and enjoyed our delightfully simple meal, then relaxed for a while, each of us with a book to read. After a few hours we headed over to the visitor center and the peaceful Redwood Grove Loop Trail through old-growth redwoods. What a nice way to spend the day!