Sunshine on my shoulders...

I've been meaning to write to you about what a wonderful and interesting time the Barfield family had last weekend.  We've been waiting for months for a gorgeous weather day just to soak it up. If there's anything that inspires us to get outside it's the promise of a 75 degree, sunshiny day.  We did a little piddling around in the morning, but Kenny had promised Olivia he'd take her out to practice skeet shooting so we all piled in the car and drove out to see what we could see. I am only committed to lying on a blanket like a snake in the sun with ear plugs shoved in my ears. The rest is up to them.  Our niece and her husband and dogs showed up so we ended up walking down to the river to do a little exploring while we were there. Slow conversation and the occasional animal sighting made it just a perfectly wonderful day fueled by that big yellow ball.

By 4 we decided to pack it up and head home, but our water had gotten hot (only downside of the warm day) so we decided to stop for a soda on the way home. If you are a connoisseur of soda, you know which fast food places have the best ones.  For instance, McDonald's has a good Diet Coke, but their ice to soda ratio is way off and you end up with a kind of watered down, warm fizz. Plus, you are tempted by the fries. Best to not even drive there.  Krystal has the best Sprite, but the BURN of Diet Coke is best experienced at Bojangle's. I'm in it for the burn so Kenny zipped in the drive-thru line.  What happened next is a truly bizarre event. Here's an exact transcript:


Olivia (backseat): Hey Mama, see over there at the St. Mary's playground? That's where we worked when our group did the church thing that weekend.

Lori (absentmindedly because she tells me this every time we pass it): Mmmmm... That's great hon.

Kenny - driving: What do you want me to order again?

Lori: Diet Coke and Dr. P.

Olivia: Hey mama, is that guy on the playground naked?

Lori: Naked? I'm sure he's not naked.

Olivia: I don't think he's wearing khakis.

Kenny: DIET COKE AND WHAT?

Olivia: MAMA I SEE BUTT CRACK. THOSE ARE NOT KHAKIS.

Lori: What? Holy moly! Stop the car, honey. Oh my gosh, she's not kidding that guy is naked on the playground. HE'S GOING UP THE SLIDE. UP! THE! SLIDE! STOP THE CAR KENNY! I've got to see this.

Kenny: Did she say naked? HEAD DOWN OLIVIA! (He's pulling the car forward while I struggle with my phone's camera).

By now the guy is sitting in all of his glory atop the slide in a sort of lotus position (back to us, thank you Jesus) while his legs flap up and down. Olivia's screaming with laughter as Kenny informs the two Bojangle's employees that they've got a naked friend on the playground. Here's THEIR conversation:

Bojangle's employee 1: Oh my gosh. There's a naked man on the playground. BUTT NAKED.

Bojangle's employee 2: BUCK NAKED?

Bojangle's employee 1: Yes, but it's BUTT naked.

Bojangle's employee 2: Either way he's really naked.

Olivia: Wait, is it BUTT or BUCK naked?

Kenny and Lori: BUCK.

Lori: Enough with the semantics. Kenny, I'm going to need you to drive me back around there so I can get some footage. Maybe he's just in a skin suit. Oh look, he's heading to the swings. Ewwww.

Kenny: Sigh (now he's thinking of all the other times driven me to things he wishes he hadn't probably, but he's pretty sure he doesn't want to tell me no). Deep breath. PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN OLIVIA.

Olivia: (from between her knees): Use my camera, Mom.

Lori: Quick Kenny. Just get me close enough. It looks like that woman with the stroller is calling the police already and then it's PARTY OVER.

Now we did get close enough to verify that this person was sunning himself fully.  I'm not interested in making fun or making light of whatever situation led him to that moment.  From the newspaper it appears that he will be working all of that out with this legal representative.  I'm only relaying this story to you so that you can see that building a perfect day just sometimes has to do with everyone needing a little sunshine.