In Round Valley there is a very special picnic table. It has been there, well-used, weathering winter snow loads and summer heat, since long before my boys and I first discovered it for ourselves more than two decades ago. Back in the day, prior to the development of the North Round Valley Trailhead (an area my children named The Boneyard for all the “dinosaur bones” lying in the sage), we’d stuff a backpack and hike from our home down the street, up to the picnic table for lunch. In a more recent and globally unforgettable era, that picnic table served as a place to hold socially distanced, BYO dinner gatherings, providing relief from the crushing isolation of a quarantine.
The other day, I ran past the table and a tsunami of nostalgia stopped me cold. I remembered warning, “be careful of splinters” as the weather-beaten planks wobbled like a rocking horse beneath the wiggles of four little boys. Over time, the table became a little more sturdy, then sturdy and splinter free, and then for a time before they too rotted, the table top planks were wonderfully, colorfully painted with wildflowers and joy. It would be safe to bet that not a single part of the original picnic table still exists.
And yet, today, a picnic table stands solid. It is not the same picnic table – it is something much more. You see, the object that now stands is not just two benches and a table top, it is also a testament to the goodness of people. Those who have used the table, cherish it. And over the years, probably unbeknownst to one another, they have hauled and installed new planks. Hiked in tools to tighten hardware. Painted and repaired. Care has been applied, layer upon layer. This is an ongoing story of the spirit of the trails community.
It may be that I’m just a wistful older lady, but I can’t help wondering if there’s a lot more inspiration to unpack in this story. Let me know what you think. . .
Hope to see you out there!
Lora Anthony, Executive Director
