51. Westminster Pier Park, New Westminster

This park is still pretty new - in fact, it's younger than Charlotte! It was opened just a couple of months after she was born and it's a very popular place already. It has won quite a few design awards and is built half on land and half over the water with the help of 3600 pilings. There are lots of things to see that are of interest to a two-year-old; the Skytrain bridge is just to the east and tugboats are constantly making their way up and down the river. A paddlewheeler went by as we walked to the playground - I think Charlotte might like a ride on one when she's a bit older! Or maybe not even so very much older... There are no geocaches in the park because there is a series of older caches just outside it.  Charlotte had a nice time playing, then we had a picnic supper before she played in the sandbox for a while. When it got cold, we headed back to the bus stop and rode the bus back up the hill. The playground is located at N 49.12.165 W122.54.389 and is point 51 on the map at the bottom of home page.

37. Grimston Park, New Westminster

Charlotte had a bad morning.  A very bad morning.  And that meant a bad morning for mum too.  It was just one of those days when nothing went right in two-year-old Charlotte's mind - things just weren't going her way.  Mostly the problem had to do with a certain piece of cheese and it's a long story that doesn't deserve a mention in a playground blog except that it led to mum deciding that a trip to the playground was in order before things got worse.  A little fresh air and a lot of running around would do wonders!

 

If ever you have taken the Skytrain through New West, you will most likely have noticed sloping Grimston Park with its "Welcome to New West" sign.  I have ridden my bike past here a million times and I used to bring Theo here when he was a puppy to wear him out by throwing his ball down the hill.  That's not as cruel as it sounds, it was necessary!  Today, Theo took it easy in the shade - it was Charlotte who needed wearing out.  Someone was exhorting her child not to run (at the playground?!?), but I was encouraging Charlotte to exhaust herself!  Luckily there were lots of things to climb on - and then she discovered the water pump...  This kept her amused for ages as she pumped water, then tried to run around to the front in time to drink some of it as it fell.  She soaked her shirt in no time and so she was soon topless and I was soon making futile attempts to keep her sunscreened up.  She had a great time and the offending cheese was a thing of the past.  We didn't get around to finding the park's geocache, "Pleasant Park, Dirty Deed".  This cache has been in the park for almost nine years and it hadn't been there long when I found it, so I couldn't remember exactly where to look and I didn't have it in my GPS.  We'll have to come back for it in a month or so - by then the wading pool will have opened!  The park is located at N 49.12.118 W 122.56.640:  https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=z7IAXiVD2wGY.ke14vi-3MYtI&pli=1