97. Dawes Hill Park, Coquitlam

We have been very lucky with the weekend weather lately! Today was another beautiful day and not too cold, considering that we are closing in on the end of the year. We chose Dawes Hill Park today because it's not too far from the Superstore, where we went grocery shopping afterwards. I missed the park at first and drove right past it, noticing what I thought to be an adult riding high on one of the swings. When we got ourselves turned around and sorted out, he was still there. He was younger than I had realized, but much older than most kids who play on the swings! He kept going the whole time that Charlotte was playing; he was worried about Theo because he didn't want to kick him by accident, but otherwise, he just kept on swinging. When Charlotte went over for a turn on the swings, we started talking to him. He told me he was fifteen and lived nearby – and he just likes swinging. He told me he had been there for five hours and he may well have been! I asked him if he was going for a world record and his face lit up – he seemed to think that was a very good idea! I don't know if making small talk with me was too much for him, but he said he was going home, jumped off the swing, and left. I felt badly – I hope we didn't chase him away. Charlotte had some more fun on the playground, tackling the climbing mountain and the ladders with aplomb. There is a geocache nearby called “Bugs on the Hill” that has been around since 2005. I had originally found it in 2006, so didn't have it in my GPS for Charlotte to find. There is a great view of the bridge deck of the new Port Mann from here – it's a pretty nice park. The playground is located at N 49.14.175 W 122.50.002 and is point no. 97 on the map at the bottom of home page.

78. Burns Park, Coquitlam

The weather this weekend was supposed to be terrible, so when the sun came out late this morning, Charlotte and I seized the opportunity to go out to play. We chose this playground because it's not too far from the Superstore, which we can save for when it starts to rain again! Everything at the playground was wet, but the damp weather was keeping other people away and Theo was able to roam while Charlotte played. She took on the “climbing mountain” repeatedly – up and down, with her shoes squeaking on the wet plastic with every step she took! We played on the balance steps and then we just sat on a dry patch of wood beneath a tree to watch the crows and squirrels playing on the grass. Charlotte was thrilled that if we were quiet, they would come closer to us and before we left, she left a little nut in a place where the squirrels would find it. The playground is located at N 49.14.539 W 122.52.561 and is point #78 on the map at the bottom of home page.