Company Picnic

On Sunday we went to the Microsoft Company Picnic, which is held every year at a farm near North Bend. It's not really accurate to call it a "picnic" anymore, since the event is now attended by tens of thousands of people over three days. It's more like a carnival.

This was our first year at the picnic. April and I were stunned by the sheer scale of the event. The site is easily over 100 acres, with an incredible view of Mount Si. There was a huge variety of activities for the kiddos, everything from pony rides and a mountain bike trail to a dozen of those inflatable bouncy structures. There was even a circus tent where a group of clowns and trapeze artists put on a show every couple of hours.

The food court was incredible too...in addition to the traditional carnival fare, they served yakisoba noodles, a variety of curries, ribs, vegan hamburger patties, kosher and halal food, and even protein shakes from the health club for those who wanted to stick to their diets.

Needless to say, Nora was in heaven. She ran from one ride to the next, and became quite proficient at taking her sandals off so that she could dive into the bouncy inflatable thingys with reckless abandon.

The only ride that disturbed me was the inflatable crocodile, where the kids crawl into the croc's mouth, through its throat, bounce around on the inside, and then get pooped out the back of the beast. I'm not sure what the attraction was but Nora seemed to love it.

Nora and April also rode the tilt-a-whirl. April told Nora a story about the time that her, Auntie Pea and Uncle Drew rode the tilt-a-whirl at the Jones County Fair...and Auntie Pea puked all over both of them. They had to be hosed down at the site and walked home soaking wet. As Nora and April spun around on the ride, Nora looked up and said "Mommy, I'm not going to puke on you! Look!" True to her word, Nora held it together.

She's already looking forward to next year's picnic.