FCR Family Picnic

October 24, 2023

 

FCR Family Picnic – “Familientreffen” at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

It was a glorious day with blue skies, bright sunshine and a gentle breeze to greet the FCR members who attended the picnic in this gorgeous setting under the old growth oaks. An official reservation sign on the pavilion welcomed us and pathways along the Matanzas waterway led to the formal gardens where a wedding was being held.

New member Marcus was the first to greet me and other folks arrived at various times because of an accident that closed 95 south, diverting all traffic onto US 1 through St. Augustine.  Everyone brought goodies to share, but the especially big hits were Jennifer’s brownies and the French apple juice that Spyros and Susie brought.

Jerry surprised all of us by bringing photos that he had taken as the official F1 Texaco / Marlboro photographer in the 1970’s for Emerson Fittipaldi and Danny Hulme. He and his wife attended races all over Europe and came to know very well the other F1 drivers, as well as enjoying the company of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor in Monaco.  He shared first-hand stories, some of which were never were made public, with details as if they happened yesterday, not decades go.

Trivia questions – before you search the internet

  • what was so different about James Hunt’s racing boots? (NB: Jerry has picture proof and really knows why!)
  • Who was known as the flower child who walked the paddock in bare feet?

Although the picnic was scheduled to end at 2 PM, nearly everyone stayed until 3 PM as we were sharing stories and really enjoying each other’s company in this magnificent setting.  A great big thanks go to Mike LeBlanc who scheduled the event before a major conflict arose and he could not attend.  There was unanimous agreement that we should do it again and for all of you that missed this fun-filled event, hopefully we’ll be able to schedule another picnic next year!