Spellerberg Park

Well, we missed our opportunity to visit the pool at this park, but the playground was still fun! And actually, I didn't go to this one. This was on a weekend morning and I'd worked the overnight the night before for the Independent Living Program, so I was sleeping in. Bill decided to get the kids out of the house and he knew I'd been to the Spellerberg playground a million times, so it was no biggie for me to miss it.

So, I don't have a lot to say about this. I guess the pictures will have to do the talking.

Lien/Lacey/Bryant

3 parks in 1 day = success. I'm afraid it's been a while since we made these visits, so I'm struggling to remember what we were doing leading up to the park hopping. Apparently it did not involve naps at home, however, because I do remember Fletch and Grier sleeping through the first half of our visits.



First, we stopped at Lien Park. It's on North Cliff, not far from what I believe are settling ponds for waste water. I don't really know for sure.

This is it.

The only things I've ever really seen anybody do at this park is run their dogs or fly remote control air planes. There isn't much here except for space and a sign that talks about the geological history of the area. As I said, Fletch and Grier were sleeping, Leah was mad about something and refused to get out, so sweet Bo was the only one in the sign picture here. : )



Next, we traveled farther north on Cliff Avenue and turned back into the neighborhood west of the cemetery up there. Is it St. Micheal's? I can't remember. Lacey Park is a little gem back there. It was surrounded by the cemetery to the east and people's backyards on all other sides, except for the parking lot entrance/exit. There was a bit of green space to run, a picnic shelter, a basketball court and a decent little playground. My kids were really diggin' the sand that day. Ha ha. Get it? Diggin' the sand? : )

On the menu today: Sand Ice Cream

For real. Grier woke up and opened her eyes at the exact moment I snapped this picture.

After Lacey, we made a quick stop at Station 7 to visit our favorite firefighter. Man, put that guy in a navy blue t-shirt, some bunker pants and suspenders and you have got one smokin' hot firefighter. Then we went almost directly east from Lacey Park, on the other side of the cemetery and across Cliff Avenue, to another park that you really wouldn't even realize was there unless you lived in the neighborhood. Bryant Park was small, but served as entertainment for my kids, plus a couple of extras.


The most memorable part of this park visit came after we got home. Any guesses how many times I told my oldest son, "Hey Bo, don't forget to grab your flip-flops"? They were on the ground under the sign. They were $2 flip-flops from Old Navy, so I realize they weren't exactly priceless or valuable personal property. However, they were his only pair and let's face it, flip-flops are convenient when you need four kids to get shoes on and get out the door to go somewhere. So, do you suppose Bo's mom was very happy when they got home and he told her he'd forgotten them under the sign? Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! You are correct; she was not pleased. Lucky for him, his dad stopped there on his way home from work the next morning and grabbed the flip-flops. The day was saved.

Your Baby is Ugly

Well, that's what the swing said anyway. See for yourself.

And I won't even tell you what the other side of the swing said. I've told you before, this blog is supposed to be G-rated.

Meldrum Park isn't exactly in one of the nicest neighborhoods of Sioux Falls and I'm afraid the language spewing from the mouths of the teenage boys on the basketball court wouldn't do much to improve most people's view of the area, especially considering the fact that the f-bombs and racial slurs had to make their way around the cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. Ridiculous. And they were all just so awesome at basketball- must have had the breakfast of champions (see the Dunham Park post if you're confused about that one). Sorry. Couldn't resist.

I even had a couple of friends ask me later if I felt safe there without Bill. Ummm...yes. I've never felt unsafe at a Sioux Falls park. Have I rolled my eyes at the behavior of some of the other visitors and had to explain to my children that some people just like to act like idiots? Oh yeah. But the rest of the families on the playground were just nice, normal families trying to enjoy a pleasant evening at their neighborhood park.

"Mmmmm....These sand pies are delicious! I wonder what's in them..."

One Last Hurrah!

The night before school was set to start and the night Terrace Park pool was set to close for the season, we finally made it over there. We've actually explored the Japanese Gardens before and I've been to concerts there, so I don't feel too bad letting a visit to the pool count as our trip to Terrace Park.

It wasn't the warmest night actually, but we thought it would be a fun way to end the summer and then head home for supper and a good night's sleep before school the next morning. The big kids enjoyed this one just as much as every other pool we visited this summer. They especially liked watching Bill go down the drop-off slide.

But the real story, on this night, was Grier. For the first time this entire summer, she LOVED the water. She didn't cry or panic when we took her in. This girl hates the water like I hate the heat. Even now, in October when I'm actually writing this, she still showers with me instead of taking baths. She will NOT sit in a tub of water. But this particular night, her last chance for the season, she took full advantage. She would crawl in so far from the zero-depth entry that her face would end up under water. And even though she'd come up spitting and sputtering and trying to blink that chlorinated water out of her eyes, she just kept going back for more. She was mad when it was time to leave! Watching her was an absolute delight!

Arrowhead Park

Oh my goodness! We went to this park right after the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum and East Sioux Falls Historic Site because of their proximity to one another. We ended up having to go back a different day as well, because the 15 minutes of daylight that were left were simply not enough for our children. Plus, I forgot the stale bread that I'd been saving to feed the birds.

On this night, though, the weather was gorgeous and we were there just long enough for the kids to beg us to bring them back. Which we did, a couple of days later. We went back and fed the birds all of the bread we'd saved. The kids still hadn't had enough fun, so we quickly ran to the Old Home outlet, bought a couple of loaves of $0.88 bread and went back. Honestly, Bill and I were just having so much fun watching our kids, we couldn't resist getting more bread simply for the pleasure of seeing them have so much fun. On our final stop, we actually discovered the fish that are in the old quarry. When you throw a piece of bread in that water, it seriously looks like you're watching some kind of National Geographic film about piranhas. Those gold fish were feisty and I guess they love bread.

Even if a person wasn't interested in the water fowl at this park, the walking paths and the relative quiet that comes from being just outside of town would make this a pleasant stop on a 70 degree evening. We did not make it over to the historical barn any of the times we were there. Maybe next year!

Would anybody like to take a shot at writing the caption for the photo above? Look carefully at Fletcher's posture and expression and remember that he is 2 1/2 years old. Any ideas?

As usual, finding rocks and throwing them in the water is the best part.

The lovebirds.

Another photograph taken by Leah. She sooo wanted a picture of that huge orange moon, but was sorely disappointed when it was so teeny in the picture. My little Fletchie is cute in the corner, though. : )

Okay. As we were walking back to the car, I saw something dark on the sidewalk. I seriously thought it was that black rubbery stuff that they fill asphalt cracks with. That's what I thought it was until I got close enough to startle it anyway.

Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum and East Sioux Falls Historic Site

Phew! I think this one gets the award for the longest name! We actually visited this park way back in August. We'd driven through and visited the Perry Nature area before, but that was a long time ago. There is a ton of new stuff now, with all of the trees that have been identified with signs, walking paths that have been laid, and signs to describe the city of East Sioux Falls. This place has a little for everyone.

The kids, of course, loved running up and down the walking paths and checking out the different trees. Bill and I enjoyed reading about the history of East Sioux Falls. And everybody enjoyed the tranquil walk down in the Perry Nature Area. The stream is so peaceful (to me) and so full of adventure (for the kids).

This park is actually being completed in phases and you can visit the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum website to find out more about what they have planned. It's going to be amazing! I'll use my blog space to show my own pictures. : ) And we have tons of them for this place. I had some guest photographers on this night. Pretty much, if Leah is in the picture, Bo probably took it. And if you see Bo in the picture, Leah was behind the camera. Enjoy!

I think Leah was having them pose for these pictures.

She probably told them to do this.

Strike a pose.

These signs were full of really interesting information and photos of the city of East Sioux Falls. Very educational.

I told you that walk by the stream was full of adventure. There were vines to swing on (above) and toads to chase and capture (below)!

We had to get movin'. My plan was still to visit Arrowhead Park this evening and we were running out of daylight!

Playing Catch-up

My lack of blogging has not been for a lack of park visits. It's actually just been a lack of motivation. I don't know what my problem has been. First, I told myself, it was because we were getting into the new routine of school. Then it was because we were getting ready for Grier's first birthday party. In reality, it's more likely my Pinterest obsession that began in August that has caused me to get so far behind. But I'm not a quitter, just a procrastinator at heart, and I feel my latest "before the snow flies" deadline approaching faster than I'd like. So, I guess I'd best start getting caught up. We are not quite finished with the parks, but we've got the finish line in our sights! 58 down, 19 to go!