Parks in the City

Kids in the city need parks. Places to run around and get rid of all that pent-up energy!

We have several parks that we like to visit, mostly within walking distance.

Mara has names for each one. We have . . .

“Park with Yellow Slide”: The closest park. About a 1/3 mile down our block. There is a baseball field, basketball courts, a community swimming pool, infant swings (and big kid swings), and a couple slides. The small slide is a double slide. Sometimes Mara and Micah go down the slides at the same time. That slide is yellow. It’s not my favorite park, but it’s close by. So we go there often.

“Park with Benches”: No swings or slides. But there are trees and grass and benches, as Mara mentioned. Mara can chase birds and squirrels–and when it snowed last winter, she played in the snow there.

“Park with Red Slide”: Possibly becoming our most-frequented park (although it’s a further walk than either Park with Yellow Slide or Park with Benches). This park has a few trees, a little grass, a little kids playground and a big kids playground, tennis courts, basketball and hockey courts, and a “spray park.”

“Far Away Park”: As you might imagine, it is far away which translated means 10 minutes away. We have to drive to Far Away Park. But it is sooo worth it! There are community gardens there, beautiful beautiful beds of flowers, lots and lots of grass–well-kept grass and trees. And baby swings and big kids swings. And little playground and big playground. . . Far Away Park is Mommy’s favorite!

I don’t think I have taken pictures there recently, although we’ve been there about three times in the past two weeks . . . so here is a pic of Mara taken last year (April 2008) at Far Away Park. In this picture, she had just discovered she had dirt on her hands (something that has always bothered my girly-girl).

Wow, she has changed a lot in a year!