Teeter Totter

Somewhere along the way playgrounds changed drastically. I remember so many fun things from parks and playgrounds of my own youth that don't seem to exist anymore. This dawned on me slowly, as I would look at Richard Scarry or other picture books with the girls and find myself explaining that there is another type of merry-go-round, at parks, a big metal wheel that you just hang onto while kids or parents spin it. That there is such a thing as a seesaw, it goes up and down, a kid on each side, that it helps you learn about balance and gravity and the power of your own body. Since this dawned on me I'm on a hunt everywhere I go for a real true old-fashioned playground. 

Well in our little neighboring town, good old Jackson, CA (where we go mostly for the bookstore and thrift stores) we found a teeter totter! Lucy was so excited to try it out. Polly isn't quite big enough to balance her out though, so I had to help. The girls had so much fun pushing up with their legs and going "Up! and DOWN!" Even Polly learned those words.

This playground even had a big lion head drinking fountain, which is definitely a big giant red alert of playground coolness.

and a geodesic dome climbing structure, seems to be an updated take on an old classic, which I can appreciate.

It had the standard 2-5 year old big, safe, plastic play area too. I can get behind that, if the odds and ends are there too. The seesaw and the metal slide. The various types of swings, the big old wooden fort, the climbing bars and tether ball. I don't expect a park to have them all, but I also don't expect my kids to be perfectly, unquestionably SAFE all the time. It's just not the nature of childhood. 

This park also had a lovely wooden bridge across the creek, and some girls were playing with their mom's crutches down below, which had my babes fascinated.

We then headed to cute little Sutter Creek for ice cream in an old fashioned parlour and another visit to a park, complete with three more bridge crossings! 

(yes, I took a break from my effort toward veganism that day)

I wore my favorite vintage Contempo Casual yellow skirt, a white eyelet crop top from a clothing exchange, vintage thrifted sandals, and glass beads from my grandma. 

Lucy picked out her own outfit and Polly's as well.

Any of you have amazing, old-fashioned playgrounds nearby? Maybe I'll start a teeter-totter-dream list for all our someday travels.