they were just a quarter of a mile away , at the picnic table neenah dase had installed under a big tree in her backyard , but to the boys they were on a grand adventure , cate had watched from the window as they walked off down trail stop 's one real road , her mother carrying a small basket loaded with peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and lemonade , with the boys circling around her in a frenzy of excitement .