Parking

Parks really are great. There are quite a few in this small town in which we live... and they're mostly really nice. There are some new exciting ones, but I think the parks I like best are the old parks. You know, the ones with the paint chipping off of the equipment, the metal slides that burn your skin as you go down them, and the swings with chains without plastic coating so they constantly grab your hair. Yes, I like those parks. They have so much character. They're simple and joyful. I can hardly imagine the vast amount of fun that has been had in them by children over the years. Corbin's favorite part of this trip was the bunch of daisies that he found. He picked some for me. He then proceeded to pick every last one and toss it into the water. It brought him great joy. I didn't feel bad about him destroying them for that very fact. Flowers are meant to bring joy. No one ever specified exactly how. Petra just enjoys hanging out in the wrap. It's one of her favorite spots to be.

I will miss summer when it is gone, and lately it seems as if though it is leaving quickly. The air is brisk and the foliage isn't as green as it used to be. The thought of winter here in this tundra... this frozen desert, as someone called it recently, makes my heart sink sometimes. It's just too cold... it seems to suck the life out of the living. We must simply enjoy the chances we have to be outside, to absorb our vitamin D. So we will go parking while we can... to all the parks... over and over again.

Also, I took photos of myself with my children because I have nearly none. I generally have the camera taking photos of them... and all of a sudden, there is a three year period of me missing from all photos. However, that DSLR is nearly impossible to take photos of oneself with by simply holding. Heavy. And yes, that's Petra chewing on the camera strap as I try to get a photo of her sweet self.