No swimming, no movies...let's eat!

So this is the blog post where I turn lemons into lemonade. Which, being a notoriously pessimistic and cynical person, has never been one of my strong suits. I realize that even at this very moment there are many of my fellow Park citizens trying to keep cool and doing their best to remember to keep the refrigerator closed during the power outage, not to mention clearing the dead tree limbs from their yard, but Saturday's storms and its resultant "juiceless" grid set the stage for my family's first picnic at .

We came barreling through the front gate at the posted speed limit of 10 mph dressed in our bathing suits for a day of swimming and getting my almost year old son acclimated to water, but the gate keeper informed us we could either simply walk around and/or use the bathroom because with , those were the only things that apparently could be done. No swimming, no movies, no ice cream...nothing.

Good thing we had also packed for a barbeque...no electricity needed! Added bonus: the Park was almost completely deserted, and we had arrived during a lull in the Park employees ongoing . We decided that subtracting the screeching of a thousand children but possibly adding the roar of a wood chipper was a wash...bring on the lighter fluid flavored brats!

I have to admit, it felt pretty good to get set up, build that fire without the aid of propane tanks or a stove, and sit and eat bratwurst and homemade pasta salad on plastic plates while listening to the Tigers' game on our transistor radio. It's difficult to describe the feeling of having a cold one in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other navigating a quartet of sausages on a public grill while trying to keep my son Henry from eating dirt and sticks off the ground and my wife from being eaten alive by bugs...I felt like one of those 1950's dads and because I have no real frame of reference for that, all I can think of is the backyard barbecue scene from the movie Edward Scissorhands. We had a great time, and it was good to see that as we left, more people showed up with the same idea and picnic gear in tow.

It's days like this one that make me grateful for having a great resource like Windmill Pointe Park available. I would also like to send my wishes for a speedy return for the electricity in the affected areas. My area was fortunate not to be affected, but next time I know it may be my turn to swelter in the heat of a humid summer day with no electricity while others picnic in the park. 

Oh...and Happy Independence Day, everyone!