Picnicking & Swimming in Mississippi

My home in Memphis is hundreds of miles away the ocean, but there's a beach just a short drive down I-55 into Mississippi at Sardis Lake. Sardis and John W Kyle State Park is about 45 minutes south of Memphis. There's plenty of room for picnicking, and there's a quaint beach on the bank of Sardis Lake.

My partner Paul and my friends Andy and Jordan went down to Sardis today for a little summer swim and picnic.

Me & Paul

Andy & Jordan

Each of us packed our own lunches. Paul had chips and crackers (he lives on snacks). Andy and Jordan had meat sandwiches and chips. And I made a big ole spread just for me (but Paul ate some of my bread). I picked up this locally baked Rosemary & Olive Oil Cucina Bread from the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturday morning. It was so fresh and soft, and the rosemary flavor was delicate.

I brought along some Viana Wild Herbs Sunflower Spread for my bread. I won eight jars of these Viana spreads at the Galarama silent auction for the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Portland during Vida Vegan Con. These spreads, most of which are sunflower-based, are delectable.

I also brought along some Smart Deli Baked Ham Style Slices and some Daiya Swiss Style Slices to eat with my bread.

My favorite picnic fare always involved a good artisan bread, vegan cheese, a vegan meat, and grapes! I found these local Table Grapes (that's how they were labeled) from the Whitton Farms folks at the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturday.

And wine is a must. You can't have a picnic without wine. You simply can't. Unfortunately, Sardis Lake is in a "dry" area, which means no booze is allowed. If the park rangers catch you with alcohol, you have to pour it out or they'll ticket you. But we were slick about it. We kept the wine bottle in the cooler and poured our organic, vegan Orleans Hill Alexandria white in cups. We never even spotted a park ranger, so no biggie. Breaking the rules is fun. Just don't get caught.

After lunch, we spent about an hour swimming in the muddy lake and sunning on the beach. It was a nice little day-trip getaway. I wish summer would last forever.