Pick Your Memory

There's no finer summer day than one you spend with loved ones.  Tanner, Michelle, my "fine figure of a man" and I went "down river" today.  Down river to share a special summertime memory with one of our most favorite gals.  Picking Blackberries.  It is an epic event to be shared, often.  We turned left to go toward "Horse Creek", the viewing of bushes and the searching of the blackest, sweetest berries ever.  I heard a seatbelt disengage.  What followed was very funny.  Michelle said "you are not getting a head start on me" as she unclicked her own seatbelt.  The competition for the winner of the quickest filled bucket began.

As buckets filled and sweat rolled and dripped, the partial family of four began to settle in and just enjoy the day.  We searched, picked, filled and joined together to have a successful berry picking day.  The stories, memories, visiting and plans for the berries were all surrounding. 

Someone said "I've reached my limit".  Made me think of the limits we have imposed upon us.  A limit of fish in a lake is 10 while a limit of fish in a creek is 5.  A person limits out during hunting with two (if he has enough tags) and a wood cutting permit limits how many cord you can cut.  Limits.  We all thought we had reached our limit at some point today.  But we hadn't filled all our buckets and containers we had brought.  So, even though we felt our limit had been reached, there really wasn't a limit and we picked on, in unison to work together to fill all our buckets.  Our vessels.  Filling.  Satisfied.

We returned home with the windows down and the air conditioning blaring.  We didn't want to miss any part of this amazing summer day even with the 97 degree heat on the river road. Those few hours of picking goodness wore us out.  Today blackberry pies; tomorrow, blackberry jam.