I took Four to the park the other day. I thought we were going for a walk, but it was all a ploy on his part to get to the little parklet near home. It sits in the intersection of three walking paths, ringed by trees and beautiful climbing rocks (the kind that are just right for little boy feet to tackle) with a big sand pit and a climbing structure. The climbing structure has two slides (junior and big), and a little house type thing with a table and benches inside for girls to have tea parties, and a roof for boys to jump off of. But the appeal of this park for Four is the fact that in the structure is a steering wheel. If he can't sit behind the wheel of a real vehicle, he'll gladly accept the one at the park...or the little lego one, just barely big enough for his small finger to fit behind.
It was a good day for people watching. As I sat on a bench, enjoying the sun and listening to Four call his friend Michael by the name of Quincy (?) it seemed the world passed by my vantage point and I saw some interesting things. Here are a few:
A small barefooted boy - about three years old - came running up one of the paths approaching the park, down the slight hill through the trees and away down past our house. He looked utterly confident as if he had done this many times before and he had a fixed destination in mind. The sight of him trotting along without even stopping to look at the park or glancing at the boys playing made me think that I might have imagined the episode...he looked a little cartoon-like. But after he had faded from view, a jogging man came past my bench, and as he went by he asked if I'd seen a little barefoot boy pass this way. Apparently the little guy is an experienced escape artist. Not long after, barefooted boy and breathless dad came through the park again on their way home - the one looking smug and the other...exhausted.
I saw a man dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops jogging. I know he was jogging because he had all the markings of a jogger except for the clothes he wore: checking his pulse, listening to an iPod, water bottle. Does it seem odd to you that a jogger would be wearing street clothes? That's why I mention it.
From the files of "Don't judge a book by its cover": A mom and dad pushing a pram back home from shopping. I saw the cutest little baby tucked up inside with a fuzzy pink receiving blanket decorated with dancing bunnies. Mom had three facial piercings and tattoos all up one arm and her chest. Dad wore the typical goth uniform. Keep in mind this is not downtown...I don't think you can get more whitebread or suburban than where this park is at. The couple looked proud as punch of their bundle of joy and the pretty pink blankie, and were polite as can be, saying hello, lovely sunshine isn't it, and then carying on their way. The cover to that book is really misleading, isn't it?
It was a good day for people watching. As I sat on a bench, enjoying the sun and listening to Four call his friend Michael by the name of Quincy (?) it seemed the world passed by my vantage point and I saw some interesting things. Here are a few:
A small barefooted boy - about three years old - came running up one of the paths approaching the park, down the slight hill through the trees and away down past our house. He looked utterly confident as if he had done this many times before and he had a fixed destination in mind. The sight of him trotting along without even stopping to look at the park or glancing at the boys playing made me think that I might have imagined the episode...he looked a little cartoon-like. But after he had faded from view, a jogging man came past my bench, and as he went by he asked if I'd seen a little barefoot boy pass this way. Apparently the little guy is an experienced escape artist. Not long after, barefooted boy and breathless dad came through the park again on their way home - the one looking smug and the other...exhausted.
I saw a man dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops jogging. I know he was jogging because he had all the markings of a jogger except for the clothes he wore: checking his pulse, listening to an iPod, water bottle. Does it seem odd to you that a jogger would be wearing street clothes? That's why I mention it.
From the files of "Don't judge a book by its cover": A mom and dad pushing a pram back home from shopping. I saw the cutest little baby tucked up inside with a fuzzy pink receiving blanket decorated with dancing bunnies. Mom had three facial piercings and tattoos all up one arm and her chest. Dad wore the typical goth uniform. Keep in mind this is not downtown...I don't think you can get more whitebread or suburban than where this park is at. The couple looked proud as punch of their bundle of joy and the pretty pink blankie, and were polite as can be, saying hello, lovely sunshine isn't it, and then carying on their way. The cover to that book is really misleading, isn't it?
A pack of wild dogs also went by. By that I mean a group of young teenage boys, of course. They didn't cause any trouble at all, but one of them, I noticed, wore his shoes at least two sizes too large. Before my nephew experiences, I would have thought this was maybe the latest crazy teen trend, but I know better now: his mom is just tired of buying him new shoes every two seconds because he's growing every day. She was preemptive, planned for tomorrow, and went for the largest size they had in stock. He was able to keep up with his buddies, so no harm done. I say: good for mom! You've got to dig your trench somewhere.
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