One more outside Sunday

Ben and I headed over to Lake Placid this morning to try out another new playground...the extensive and incredible one at the elementary school...it's made out of wood, has turrets and towers, swings and slides, bridges and tunnels, and all sorts of other fun features that drove Ben wild during a marathon play session...



There are physical elements designed to challenge kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens, and Ben tried out most of them...some he was scared of, but would hold my hand to get across...he especially loved exploring the crawlways and tunnels that only someone his size could fit into...



The playground was originally built in 1989, but has been renovated and improved upon often since that time...it's a great testament to the people and businesses of Lake Placid that the money found its way into the project, and keeps coming...


Ben really liked the components that moved, and are interactive, like this car...there are balance beams and swinging bridges and an island that moves like a raft on water...



The biggest challenge for me was finding spots from which I could see and track Ben as he made his way through the playground...a couple of times, I found myself trapped by narrow passages or walls, and I could hear Ben giggling as he scurried away through tiny passages or across lilliputian bridges...I soon found that finding my way to high ground was a help...



He liked the elements made from tires and tire material that had bounce and give...he had some fun playing with a couple of kids who came after, and left before, we did...a 2 year-old and another 4 year-old...


He had a fun time playing a modified version of hide-and-seek with me...I'd close my eyes, give him a minute to lose himself in the tunnels and bridges, and then try to find him...the giggles inevitably brought me to him, although I had to appear confused for a bit anyway...


He was unsure of this bridge, although he had an easier time going up than down...don't know why...



After the playground, we headed into town and hit the best used bookstore in Lake Placid, With Pipe and Book...it also sells pipe tobacco, so the whole store smells like a favorite uncle...we found Ben a great book that I remembered from my childhood, and also got one for me...we then went next door to the Bookstore Plus for a couple of dinosaur books...and then home

we don't have many more outside warm (ish) and sunny (ish) days, so we had fun with this one...we got home, had some lunch, and Ben tumbled comatose into bed for (hopefully) a long nap...exhausted...