Tuesday, September 24, 2013

100 Acre Tour

Another Tuesday, another adventure.  
My friend Melissa had never been to the 100 Acres park just behind the IMA.  I haven't been since last year either.  So it was a perfect choice for us to hit that since the weather was being so cooperative.  It was in the low 60s when we got moving, and sunshiney last Tuesday.  Perfect weather for us to get a little exercise in while pushing a stroller around the park.   As it turns out it was all I had capacity for, I worked myself up quite a sweat, and the boys played themselves into exhaustion.  It was Awesome! 


From the moment we arrived, Sam wanted to climb everything. Yet he usually kept a good eye out for me, so he'd wander but for the most part, he stayed close enough to see me.  I appreciate that from him.  


This swing sculpture was being built the last time I was there.  It's a tulip tree with log swings, and another part has tables to sit, but by the time we were ready to sit, it was too sunny.  It's right by the entrance, so we wanted to get moving a bit more first. 


Sam and his friend Alex insisted on climbing things I didn't think needed to be climbed. 
Alex has no fear.  And it's rubbing off on Sam.  That may be a good thing.  I think. 


This one was a bit more his height. :) 




This one had me stumped for a while - but it's a Sumac tree. 


Sam jumps on the skeleton sculpture, we were calling the skeleton affectionately, Bones.  
Last time we went here, Sam was too small to climb up there alone.  This time it was Della that couldn't get her little legs up.  But Sam could.  I must say I was proud of him, just taking off after Alex and hoping on Bones.  Tuff stuff that one! 


Sam was a champ at running off and back.  He had found the pond, and was throwing rocks into it, and dashing up the hill to go get more... before I could get down there to tell him to stop. 


At least he didn't get wet.  He kind of throws like a nut though.  At least all his throws landed in the water. 


We paused for a moment because the sun was shining on this field and there was a log, it was just pretty. 


Sam didn't want to pose handsome, he wanted to ride the log like a pony.  


Jake on the other hand was a bit more receptive to some cheesy photos. 


Off to the raccoon cage.  This sculpture reminds me so much of a raccoon trap.  But it seems around here to just capture Cuteness.  While the kids were playing around in there, a college class came around, and they asked us if they could take the kids' pictures.  I guess all this cuteness is hard to resist, and even harder to come by when you're a college student.  


Let Me Out! 


After a bit more walking, the kids found another exhibit I hadn't seen, The Flock of Signs. 
This was probably Sam's favorite exhibit, even though he couldn't read the signs.  I need to bring Chris here, he would find them hysterical.  We found these rather hysterical too, actually.  


And the kids just wanted to bound and leap through the nature. 


Some of the grasses were longer than their legs.  


There was another section labeled Flock of Signs, but these signs didn't have any names on them. 
Frankly, without all the witty sayings, I just didn't find it as cute.  It reminded me of the signs at the beginning of MASH, where they had arrows pointing to all the different towns that the folks were from, and the distance much like a map.


Speaking of Maps, Sam was the keeper of our park map. He said he was following it to the treasure.  And he would not share.  He was kind of adorable as possessive as he was over the map.  Maybe he'll be my little Navigator, he's got a good idea as to which way we go, and a good memory. We can be driving down a street, and he'll ask me, Is this the shortcut to blah blah?  And it is.  Maybe he's got my steel trap memory for these things.  That would be handy.  


We found some more of the yellow steel sculptures.  The kids decided they were like slides to climb up and slide down. 


When they all piled on, my friend Melissa said they looked like they were breaking them.  So she went over to one of the ends and posed for me.   It looks like she's breaking it, she cracks me up. 



I am pretty sure these are fleabane flowers.


For our last hurrah, we stopped for a picnic under the giant o-rings.  


Supposedly, at the summer solstice, their shadows line up on the ground.  
I haven't seen that.  But still, it's nice and shady right there and perfect for picnicking.  


Even the yahoos agreed. 


After one last hurrah for the road that is...Sam and Alex climb the basketball paths.  This was another of Sam's favorites.  I don't mind letting him climb it while I load/unload the car, it's easy to keep an eye on him. And as I said, the kids slept Very Well after this Adventure.  We'll have to go there again sometime. 



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