The Family Picnic 1948

When I was a child my family, besides my parents and brother, consisted of lots of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins all on my mothers side of the family. We spent all the holidays together and practically every Saturday night at my Aunt Christina’s house where the adults played cards and all the kids hung out in the basement or in the living room. I remember my cousins Angel, Dolores and Vera taught the younger cousins including me how to dance the cha-cha and the mambo. There were lots of laughs and bond that has lasted over the years

One of the highlights of my childhood was the family picnic at Belmont State Park in Long Island. We would get up very early in the morning, pack the car with food and anything else we would need and take the Southern State Parkway to the picnic grounds. I always knew we were near when I’d see these huge trees on both side of the parkway cast a shadow over the parkway and then we would see the lake and in no time we were in the parking lot. For some reason we were always there first.

I would follow my father while he picked out a spot for the family.

Then we would unload everything from the trunk and carry it over to the tables. It usually took two to three trips. Then my father would start a fire and put up a large pot of coffee. As my aunts, uncles and cousins arrived there was hot coffee for the adults. Sometimes breakfast would be made by each family, but the main cooking and barbecuing would start near 12pm. Meanwhile there were all kinds of things for us to do like, playing in the park or going to the baseball field and have a game of softball. There were basketball courts that we enjoyed, but the main event was canoeing on the lake which we did after eating all the food and there was so much of it including large pots of pasta ( hey we were Italian and you couldn’t start a meal without the macaroni).

Very soon after we would go to the lake and getting the canoes. My uncles would row and of course somebody would stand up and tip the canoe over. I happened to be one of the fortunate kids to end up soaked and wet. But the tipping of the canoe problem was solved. At that time all men and boys had straps to hold up their pants. We took all the straps and strapped two canoes together. There were about four double strapped canoes. All I remember is all the laughter and the fun racing across the lake.

As it got later in the afternoon, we all gather at the tables and eat again. Soon it would be dark and we would be on our way.

I remember one of those times there was a thunder storm. The rain came down so hard that you could not see the next car in front of you. All the traffic stopped and waited for the storm to end. Something you wouldn’t see today. We would arrive home exhausted. Sometimes I fell asleep in the back seat. I mean I was four.

Those  were the days of innocence for my cousins and me.

Now 72 years later all the aunts and uncles and some of the cousins are gone, but that bond that we created in the forties and through the years to this day still holds true and I am so grateful for it.

Dom Minasi