In my unemployed state, and my attempt to not become too housebound, I have decided to explore the many parks throughout Salem and Keizer.
My first exploration was of a very small park called Brush College about a mile from our house.
It is tucked in a residential area that is quite wooded.
I have driven past the park a number of times since we moved to Salem barely noticing it existed.
As I said, it isn’t a large park, a shelter with some picnic tables, a play structure (see my previous blog), a merry-go-round, and a bit of open area, but not much else.
Brush College Park today looks as lonely as I am alone.
There is not another soul here.
There isn’t much to explore so after shooting a few photos I take rest on the merry-go-round, one foot dangling over the side to give myself an occasional push.
I haven’t found myself on a merry-go-round in years, but it feels comfortable.
Being here makes me think back to my time at St. Patrick’s school in Wichita, and I do so with fondness.
Our Merry-go-round wasn’t like the one I find myself on today however.
Our school Merry-go-round was the old fashioned kind that you pushed from inside as your classmates sat on the outside wooden boards.
Most everyone took their turn at pushing. The best pushers were the ones who could push fast without losing their footing. Falling was dangerous as if you stood up at the wrong time you were sure to get clobbered in the head with the push bar.
Sometimes it was easier to roll out from under the structure although even then you were risking a black eye from getting kick by a rider.
As I look around at the monstrous play structure I realize the difference from the structures on my childhood playgrounds. There used to be 4 basics items on most playgrounds, the merry-go-round, the swing set, the slide, and the Teeter Totters. Maybe you grew up calling Teeter Totters ... Seesaws, but not me.
If you were lucky your playground slide had a hump in the middle for added excitement.
Nothing was painted colorfully.
Simple and basic gray was the color of the day.
I am sure this was to match the color of the concrete the structures were set in.
If the boy scouts needed a service project, the equipment might get a fresh coat of paint each summer. But it was obvious that our boy scouts were too busy with their newspaper drives to be painting swing sets, or teeter totters.
This made for a many splintered experience if you found yourself with someone of equal size to totter back and forth with.
Karen was my best friend in elementary school and made for the best partner on the Teeter Totter because we were about the same size. We both grew up quick and grew up tall, which for a girl in 4th grade is quite awkward. But we could balance out the teeter tooter well, letting out feet dangle in the air until they fell asleep and got all tingly.
I don’t know what year it was that Riverside Park in Wichita near my home was renovated and got new equipment.
But I remember marveling at the Rocket slide, how big it was, and how scary it could be when kids decided to climb to the top and try to shake it.
Riverside also had one of the geodesic climbing structures where you could hang upside down until all the blood rushed to your head.
But these structures were safely set in sand.
It was quite innovative at the time.
I remember taking Melissa and Brad there when they were little.
I wonder if they are still there today.
Regardless of what your playground looked like growing up, or what playgrounds look like today, I think the most important part of life is remember to make time to play.
