By Lana Torre
Summer is passing us by. The stores are brimming with back to school supplies. All patio furniture has been marked down and purchased for next year. Your flip flops are looking tired and bleached out by the sun. Your honey do list has been done. What now? How about treating yourself, your kidlets, your significant other or a bff to a late summer picnic?
Plan a perfect late day or Sunday picnic. In the Rochester and Fingerlakes area, we are blessed with countless spots to enjoy your picnic, especially if you gravitate to the water. Consider the obvious, Charlotte beach by the gazebo and pier, one of the many canal parks of Spencerport, Pittsford and Fairport. Highland Park was planned and planted so something is always in bloom. Try Sodus Point, Fairhaven Beach, or the winding path where Irondequoit Bay meets the lake. Letchworth State Park has many hiking paths to discover as well as a favorite picnic spot of my children, StoneyBrook. Here you relax by natural waterfalls and swim in the Mother Nature made pools. I remember picnicking as a child in Mendon Ponds Park searching for the ominously named “Devils Bath”. Cobbs Hill Park by the reservoir has great views of the city. And for a quirky spot try Mt. Hope Cemetery. Here you can view headstones of famous Rochesterians like Susan B Anthony. Love animals? Treat your kids to a fun day at the Seneca Park Zoo, complete with a packed, sack lunch.
Last Sunday, my husband and I picnicked at the public beach at Hammondsport, Keuka Lake. We were entertained by the antique boat show and parade. What delight to see restored wooden and fiberglass boats, strutting their stuff in the afternoon sun. On our ride home, I spotted a Mennonite family enjoying a supper at the Woodville Park at the South end of Canandaigua Lake.
Pack appropriately, utensils, ice, mosquito repellent, folding chairs and a large cloth tablecloth. If you hate preparing food, stop by the Dark Horse Café and grab sandwiches, chips and drinks, then go. Bring a book, read to your kids, find rocks to be painted as momentos. Share this time as we forge into fall.
Next month it is back to school, back to work, and back to fixing up and decorating our homes. But for now, relax, enjoy your Sunday, and always prepare a plate for the ants.