Taking the Pastoral Dining Route

While some of you took your mothers to fancy mimosa-laced brunches in well-appointed restaurants on Mother’s Day, I let mine drive us to a state park for à la carte breakfast dishes served on outdoor picnic tables. Though I’d bet you had better food, I’m inclined to believe I had a better experience.

First, before you think I bullied my mother into eating with a bunch of campers, you should know the venue was her choice. I can’t say what of the day will stand in her memory, but I’ll remember Mother’s Day 2010 for its animal encounters.

The restaurant sat along a river frequented by canoers and fishers. Dragonflies darted through the air and the resident restaurant hound monitored all visitors. He wasn’t initially pleased with the Akita pup, but everyone else passed muster. My husband and I enjoyed the company of both canines, reminders for us of the one-in-a-million pooch no longer with us.

The best part of the meal for me, though, was the coming and the going.

On the way to the park, traffic on the country road came to a standstill. Horses. A man got out of his car and held the halters of two of the road-blocking creatures, allowing vehicles to pass and move on. I got out of our car to take pics, and as I did so, the apparent owner of the horses approached the scene. He and the Good Samaritan seemed to know each other, at least enough to trust the G.S. to lead two of the horses back to the barn. The owner had his hands full with the spirited third horse, who had been frolicking in a field and was determined not to be led anywhere by anyone. He’d run toward the owner and just as he got close enough to grab, he’d skip away. My guess is that it was this spirited equine who sprung the group from lockup in the first place, and the two docile horses decided a Sunday stroll wasn’t a bad idea. In the end, Mr. Wild Thing acquiesced to following alongside his mates—as long as no one touched him (see pic above: note the docile horses’ reaction to the willful/gleeful one).

On the way home from our meal—during which time another family shamed me for failing to give my mother a corsage for the holiday (Did you? And if you’re a mother, did you expect a corsage?)—I disembarked from the car again to photograph a feathered family (no corsage in sight).

I don’t know about my mother, but I had a memorable Mom’s Day.

[Sorry about the boring pics. I had close-ups of both to post on Lull, but haven’t yet learned how to get those to stick. Please be patient with my learning curve. Thanks!]