By 5:30 p.m. on September 4, 2015, I was tired, dusty, hungry and thirsty. Having spent the previous two hours in the hot sun rallying my team Bonnie’s Bombers to come within one run of a tie score with Marshall Bluestone’s team Justified, I feared that the food at the SCBA picnic would be as depleted as my electrolytes.

Happily, the excellent chefs Peter Trombetta, Jim DeMartini, Steve Turer, Sondra Persons et al did not skimp either on volume or quality of the fare remaining on the buffet table. Crisp watermelon salad, rice and sausage, salads and numerous delicious desserts were waiting for the troops of softball players who straggled up the hill to feast.  Suzanne Babb was still enthusiastically serving up beverages from behind her custom bar, and the tip jar to benefit the Sonoma County Law Library was filling fast. Much of the picnic crowd mingled under the canopy of oak branches at the Galvin Park group barbeque site as they enjoyed their food and beverages.  There were attorneys with their families, children of all ages, court staff and judges sharing the bounty of the picnic and of the fellowship of the Bar Association. For the second year, the SCBA pledged that the net proceeds from the picnic would be earmarked to benefit the Sonoma County Law Library. 

While last year’s picnic showcased the fly fishing talents of Dick Abbey and Steve Bleasdell, this year’s picnic rousted sleeping athletes from their long (in my case, decades-long) slumber and pulled them to the softball field, where the first-ever friendly softball smackdown “to the death” was played with enthusiasm. Umpire Mike Mullins called the balls and strikes, and a competitive match ended with Team Justified earning its title. Players of all levels joined the fun while other picnickers cheered them on.

The picnic was a wonderful kick-off to the Labor Day weekend.  Who knows what surprises next year’s SCBA picnic might bring? Why don’t you show up and find out for yourself!

(This article appeared in the Sonoma County Bar Association Bar Journal, Winter 2015/2016, Volume 45, Issue 4.)