Start of Summer party

Both groups who hiked today

Twenty Senior Trailblazers from the first group, the Half Fast one which I usually hike with, met the slightly smaller group, the Relaxed hikers, on the horse trails behind Lake Padden today just by chance, before our potluck starting at 11:00. Melanie took this picture, which is why I am in it (thank you, Mel). It was wonderful to see several hikers who don't come much any more, like Jonelle, standing next to me in the front row. She travels a lot and just arrived in Bellingham yesterday. It was such a delight to see everybody!

Stopping to gather the group together

We hiked around some hills and dales that Al knows well, making sure we could get in around six miles before heading back down to the pavilion that we rented for the occasion.

Our trails and lots of green

The weather could not have been better, really. It was a little cool with a light breeze, which makes for perfect hiking. I wore my low boots rather than those I usually hike in with ankle protection, so I chose to use my trekking poles, which most hikers left behind on this easy hike. And then we headed down to our cars to get our goodies to share for the potluck.

Salads galore

And lo and behold, a true potluck with no rules, we ended up with a massive number of fabulous salads. One after another showed up on the table, along with nuts, deviled eggs, and some bread and muffins. And no meat anywhere in sight. Our dessert table also had a homemade rhubarb pie (delicious!), two kinds of brownies, watermelon, and Melanie's special raspberry crumble made gluten free just for Joy, although many of the rest of us snarfed them down, too.

Meredith, Linda, Joy

The reason these three ladies are standing while eating their lunch is that under the shaded pavilion, the breeze made us feel a little on the cool side. Those who didn't mind standing were happy to pose for a picture for me.

More hikers soaking up the rays

Their technique caught on, and more went outside to warm up a little. I like this picture because Luena, my guest, is in the foreground talking with Al. It was simply a wonderful day, potluck, as well as hike for our welcome-to-summer event. We must have had well over 40 people, as some people showed up just for the eating part of the day, and another marvelous season of camaraderie and enjoyment ahead has been kicked off in style!
:-)