Part One: The Picnic
It was a lovely Saturday morning. The summer sun poured in thru the open window as Nick opened his eyes. He stretched and yawned, being careful not to disturb Kate, his live-in girl friend, who was sleeping peacefully next to him.
He turned on his side to watch her as she slept. The movement caused her to open her eyes. He leaned across to kiss her lightly on the lips but she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily. When she broke the kiss, she said.
"Good morning, my love. Are you ready for our picnic? Remember you promised to take me kite flying today."
"Yes, I remember."
He leaned closer to follow up on the kiss. Kate kissed him quickly and hopped out of the bed.
"Get a move on, buster, we have a few things to do before I let you devour me."
"Rats. I thought we could spend the day in bed."
He climbed slowly out of the bed and, with a quick move, caught Kate by the waist as she passed by. He hugged her tightly from behind, planting kisses on the side of her neck. She languished in his arms for a few moments and then firmly moved his hands away.
"Later, big boy, but only if you're good." Her eyes sparkled with delight and her broad grin belied the mock sternness in her voice.
A short while later, after separate showers and breakfast, they loaded the little BMW convertible with the essentials for the trip. Two kites, with plenty of attached string, a fully laden picnic basket, a blanket, and the Saturday newspaper for after lunch. Nick wore shorts, an open necked short sleeved shirt and his boat shoes. Kate also wore shorts, a blue blouse that buttoned up the front, and her boat shoes. Being slender of build, Kate rarely wore a bra and on this morning, she could feel the fabric of her blouse brushing lightly against her nipples as she moved. She was excited by the thought that this feeling would only get better as the day progressed.
The little car's engine roared to life and they were off. Down the winding road which cut the side of the foothills to the center of the sleepy town and out to the bridge. The bridge crossed the south end of the Bay and was built in two sections. The western end, which Nick and Kate were now approaching, was a steep climb to the top of an arch and an equally steep descent to just above the water on the other side some 400 yards from the shore. The arch was installed to allow large boats to access the south end of the bay. Once over the hump, the bridge was a flat road for the remaining 10 miles across the bay at about 20 feet above the water level.
Exiting the bridge on the east end, Nick took the highway north. He turned east again at the Channel Highway, which cut through the East Bay foothills, then turned north again. After following the road for about 10 miles, Nick exited the freeway at the Mt. Diablo turnoff. So far, they had been traveling for just over an hour.
Nick and Kate had been enjoying the drive thus far, chatting happily, singing along with the radio, and occasionally caressing each others bare legs. Now the driving became serious for awhile. The road into the Mt. Diablo State Park was only two lanes wide and twisted its way up the side of the 2,500 foot hill. Nick drove cautiously up the incline, always watching for a spot for their picnic. About halfway up, the road traversed the side of the mountain through a beautiful pasture. At one place, there was a grove of trees and Nick pulled off the road and up under the trees.
1,200 feet in the air, sunshine, an open pasture, and an excellent breeze for flying kites! Absolutely perfect, thought Kate, and far enough off the road for complete privacy. After ensuring that the car would remain in the shade for the morning, Nick began to unpack the kites. He unloaded hers first. Hand in hand they walked to the center of the meadow where Kate took the reel of string. Nick held the kite by the crossbars and walked downwind. When he had unwound about a hundred feet of string, he threw the kite up into the breeze. Kate held firmly onto the string and the kite was airborne.
Nick then launched his own kite, using a running start from about the same spot. From then on, the challenge was to keep the kites in the air as the breeze changed direction and velocity. They laughed and yelled to each other, called instructions, and cheered successes for the rest of the morning. Somewhere around midday, Kate started to reel in her kite, suggesting that refreshments were desperately needed. The mere mention of food quickly caught Nick's favor. He too reeled in his kite. After retrieving them, Nick began to repack the kites while Kate unpacked the lunch she had prepared.
