This weekend I did some walking in Webster Park, which runs right along Lake Ontario, although there is no beach but some nice stones for sitting and for skipping.

Mostly it consists of open fields, playgrounds and picnic pavilions.

When I was a kid , the highlight of our summer was the American Legion picnic at Webster Park. The American Legion was my dad’s religion, and the yearly picnic was like Christmas. Three things stand out in my memory – the organized games, the orange drink from J. Hungerford Smith, and getting dizzy from rolling down the hill.

I can still picture Dad’s cousin Ray who led the games every year. I can still hear him blow his whistle and say, “All the kids under 5 over here for the peanut scramble.” There were multiple games for multiple ages and great prizes for the winners.

The orange drink was made from gallons of thick, sugary orange syrup mixed with water in a huge keg. At home we drank mostly milk so this was a real treat and it was unlimited. You could just walk over to the tap and help yourself.

This weekend I tried to find the pavilion we always met in. I think I found it, but I wasn’t sure – 50 years can cause some changes to the landscape. I also tried to pick out the hill we used to roll down, but none of them seemed big enough, until I realized that I’m not judging “big” by a child’s standard anymore.

So I enjoyed wandering around and visiting the past for awhile, but I don’t want to live there.

All in all, I’d say that Webster Park was and still is a great place for a picnic.

Day 269: 11,301 Steps

YTD: 2,453,383 Steps

Goal: 2,530,000 Steps