Saturday in the Park

The day started out chilly and overcast, but by noon, some big breezes came through and blew all of those clouds right out of the sky! The afternoon turned delightful, sunny and warm, but with a lovely breeze to keep things comfortable.

My husband and I hadn't had our first swim at Bald Eagle State Park for the year yet, so we grabbed a few things and took off. In the early afternoon, we arrived at the park, and found it full of other people enjoying this beautiful day. As I stepped out of the car, I grabbed my camera and snagged a few shots of people on the shore. The scene looked almost . . . idyllic.

There were mamas and babies playing, kids tossing frisbee, people having picnics, graduation parties, you name it. The sound of laughter filled the air. An impromptu game of baseball had broken out near the snack bar. Grills were going, and people were grilling anything you can think of. I may have even smelled the scent of someone grilling pizza - possibly a first for me!

A friend of mine pointed out that this photograph could have been a scene out of Seurat's famous pointillist painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. There were people walking around, there were people sailing, and two different parties had brought small dogs, even though the signs said No Pets on Beach. As far as I know, nobody had brought a monkey. (There is one in the Seurat painting; I must admit I had never noticed the monkey until just now.)

As one of the swimmers, I am here to report that the water was as clear and clean as I've ever seen it there. I won't say it was perfect but the water was refreshing, and we had a lovely swim. After I was done, I sat in my chair along the shore and turned my face to the sun. It was a good day.

The song to accompany this image of people having fun at a local state park on a fine early summer's afternoon is Chicago, with Saturday in the Park.