Saturday, May 26, 2012

Blueberries for Sal... (and Isabel and Laureen)

When I was little, growing up in New England, my two favorite books were Robert McCloskey"s Make Way For Ducklings and Blueberries For Sal. I bought the first one for my daughter even before she was born. The latter we recently checked out of our local library. We love the description of the blueberries hitting the bottom of the metal pail that Sal is holding.

"Plink. Plink. Plink."

Until this afternoon, it was just a story. But today, it became a reality when the two of us went blueberry picking for the first time. We ended up picking 3.5 lbs and will be freezing most of them for summer smoothies. At a time where most of us are so removed from where our food actually comes from, it was  almost mystical to pick a berry, warm from the sun, right off the branch and pop its sweet goodness into your mouth.

No plastic packaging. No preservatives.
No traveling across the country to get to the produce department.
Just traveling 10 miles up the road. With a metal bucket. And an excited little girl.
As I heard the first "Plink. Plink. Plink." I smiled.
Because now that story lives on in the another  generation of readers not only on the pages of a book, but in the blue-stained fingers of a mother and daughter.

You can check out this 
and other stories and photos over at my photography blog:
http://laureenburkephotography.com









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