Still A Kid At Heart

Today I didn't have to be at work until after lunch, but I had a morning full of errands and activities. One of them was getting exercise. (I was hoping the weatherman was wrong about a slight chance of rain, so I could walk outside and not get too sweaty). After I showered I threw on a t-shirt and capris and stowed my work clothes in the car so I could change into them before my shift at the mall Customer Service desk.

 The first stop was at the chiropractor's office for an adjustment. When I came out of the office a light drizzle was falling, and I figured there'd be no outside walking for me. However, after I was done at the bank the rain had stopped, although the sky was still ominous.  I decided to go to Queeny Park, a nearby county facility with nice hiking trails.  When I drove into the parking lot there were only a handful of  cars, and I wondered if I was the only one foolish enough to be outside. I took an asphalt path that I knew went around in a loop so I wouldn't be too far from the car in case it started raining again.

It wasn't too long before I passed the park's playground, which brought back good memories. I used to take my boys there on a regular basis when they were young.  The area's had some updating, but the main features were still there. In the center there's a pyramid-shaped structure made out of irregular-shaped stones that are perfect for climbing. The structure has tunnels, nooks, and crannies to crawl and hide in.

There were no kids anywhere to be found, and a spiral slide beckoned. Would anyone notice if I went down it?  I decided to take a risk. To get to the slide, first I had to navigate across the pea gravel covered ground, being careful not to kick any of the tiny stones into my shoes.  Next, I had to go up some steps, across a small wooden bridge, then up another set of steps to a platform. At the top I sat down on the slide and gave myself a push off. The slide was damp and I didn't go around the turns as fast as a smaller person would have, but it was still fun. There were several pieces of gravel at the bottom of the slide, and I was glad I was wearing longer pants.  I think rocks up my shorts would be even worse than rocks in my shoes!