August is National Picnic Month. It's a great time of the
year to have one, the sun is out, the air is warm, the grass is green…ah…
The traditional picture of a picnic includes a blanket and
basket stuffed with goodies on fresh cut grass with a lake or river in the
background, but modern picnics usually involve corn-on-the-cob, chips, beer, grilling,
etc…
My favorite picnic destination is Castaic Lake. I usually go
with my friend, Inna and the kids. Her daughter is 11. Andrew is 11, too and
Joe is a bossy 6 year old with a sweet heart.
The food is never the same. Last time we went. Joe helped
prepare his food – carrots, salad, root beer, watermelon, and hot dogs. I was
proud of him. Inna's daughter made pasta noodles. I keep it easy and bring the charcoal
that all you have to do is light the bag. One time Inna brought a bag of
charcoal that you had to put veggie oil to light.
Inna and I cooked chicken, short ribs, and shrimp with
peppers and onions.
For me, the appeal of picnics is the ambience of the
outdoors. Not only that, it's fun to get out of the house and share a meal with
friends.
What are some of your favorite picnic foods? Do you have a
spot you'd like to share?
Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.
Her short story, "Made in America," earned 8th place in
the 82nd Writer's Digest Competition in the Mainstream Category.
Journey of the Heart:
99 cent Vintage Romance
BLURB: Can James help Rachel save her winery?
REVIEW: "I would recommend this short sweetie of a
story. Well done, author." AngelE, Amazon Reviewer
BUY LINK: http://amzn.com/B008G1JI6C
EXCERPT:
"Wait a
minute, Sir." James interrupted and peered at Rachel's spellbinding eyes
for a second before looking at Mr. Smith. "You've tasted this vintage
before?"
"I
have."
"So you know
how much it's worth?"
"I do."
"You seem
like a fair man, Mr. Smith. At least you were with me. I believe if you offer
Miss Rachel one thousand dollars, you'll recoup your investment and more."
"Now, young
man, what do you know about wine?"
"Not much,
but I do know human nature. You respected her father and he, you, enough to
share an expensive bottle of wine. Honor that respect now. I suspect if Miss
Rachel didn't have to make this offer to you, she wouldn't have. She knew you
and her father had a good relationship. Honor that like you honored my
service."
"You're good,
Son, I'll give you that. I'll offer you nine hundred dollars for the wine."
He paused. "I know I've been hard on you, Miss Rachel. You should consider
hiring a younger man who can help you manage the estate."
"Thank you,
Mr. Smith. I accept your offer and I'll take your advice to heart."
Mr. Smith grabbed
his ledger, wrote a check and presented it to her.
"Do you have
someone to carry in the cases? It's just Vito and I." She tucked the check
into her purse.
"Well—"
"I'll do
it," said James.
"Grab my
stock boy from the back, Son."
Rachel offered her
hand to James. "Thank you, Sir. I appreciate your assistance. I'm Rachel
Santori."
