One of our picnics, taken in 1965. From left are me, my sister Katy, my sister Rebecca, my grandmother and my sister Kris.

Many of my fondest childhood memories include picnics.  My mother was a great picnic maker, and we had many growing up.  I don’t know how she did it, packing up 5 kids and food, and usually a chocolate cake in one of those portable cake carriers.  My mother still laughs when she sees the photo above, taken in 1965 when I was two.  In the photo are my grandmother, my three sisters, and that is me on the far left, holding my hotdog at least two feet above the fire.  I can’t believe I used to eat those things.

One of my sister’s birthday falls right in the middle of summer, and I must confess that I was always a bit envious.  Every year for her birthday we packed a great picnic and headed to the Oregon beaches.  (My birthday is in the winter and were always spent indoors with awful weather). 

The trail down to Hug Point beach, Oregon.

During this last visit home, I asked my mother to take a picnic with me to the beach, recreating those wonderful childhood memories.  I requested the traditional picnic fare, which for us was;  potato salad, beans, hotdogs and chocolate cake.  It has been decades since I ate a hotdog, so we substituted brie with bread for the hotdog.

My mom’s traditional potato salad, baked beans, and bread with brie.

The must have chocolate cake, complete with strawberries and real home-made whipped cream.

For this picnic, we headed to Hug Point.  We brought Rupert and the usual accoutrements for an Oregon day at the beach;  jackets and scarves, even in June.

Rupert enjoying the beach.

Hug Point, Oregon

It turned out to be a beautiful day, but a little windy.  We arrived at 10 am, and were the second people there.  Dogs are welcome on Oregon beaches, and Rupert had fun exploring.