139. Kinsmen Park, Edson, Alberta

Lucky Uncle Andrew lives just around the corner from an awesome playground!  We walked over shortly after arriving in Edson to check it out.  Not only is there a playground, there's also a spray park and a fitness circuit for adults that differs from the usual outdoor fitness equipment in that it's actually in good shape (no pun intended) and quite fun to use!  So while Charlotte was playing, we were also having fun playing too.  Charlotte loved after Uncle Andrew push her on the swings; I guess it was a change from mum and dad!  The playground is located at N 53.35.279 W 116.25.700 and is point no. 139 on the map at the bottom of home page.

64. Harris Park, Pitt Meadows

This playground is easily visible from Lougheed Highway as it passes through Pitt Meadows, so I had it up my sleeve if we were ever out this way and needed a playground. It has a spray park and even an outdoor pool, so it was packed on this hot summer day. It wasn’t very Theo-friendly for this reason and poor Theo had to hang out under a tree and keep a low profile while Charlotte played.  We had a delicious picnic lunch and then Charlotte headed off to play. She met a couple of older girls who were really nice to her, engaging with her and playing tag with her. She gleefully chased them back and forth across the wobbly bridge while they played along with her until they had to go. It was really sweet and made a change from our usual solitary playground adventures!

 

Charlotte checked out the spray park, but this really isn’t her thing yet – maybe next year she will be into it more.  There is a geocache nearby called “Pitt Meadows Info Centre”; I had found it quite some time before, but I didn't have the coordinates on hand to find it with Charlotte.  The playground is point no. 64 on the map at the bottom of home page.

59. Moody Park, New Westminster

Moody Park is just a few blocks away from home and we drive past it almost every day - and yet this is our first visit here this year! I'd been holding it in reserve, then holding it for a day when our neighbours were able to join us, and finally, today was the day. We packed up a picnic and we headed to the playground with Pam and Mark and Mya and Addy. We loaded the wagon with picnic supplies and good things to eat and hauled it over to a picnic table where we got ourselves set up. The girls had a great time playing together and I had a nice time hanging out with grown-ups for a change while Charlotte played without me. There is a spray park next to the playground where Charlotte got herself a little wet - but it was a nice warm evening, so that didn't matter! There are three geocaches in the park, all of which we have already found. But Mya and Addy haven't found them yet - we'll introduce them to geocaching once of these days! The playground is point no. 59 on the map at the bottom of home page.

56. Memorial Park, Ladner

Charlotte and I had all the time in the world after daycare today and there was no reason not to venture a little further afield than usual for this evening's playground adventure. I looked up water parks in Delta and we ended up at Memorial Park in Ladner. I have often parked here in the past to bike out to the bird sanctuary or to do a loop out along the dyke and then back along the rural roads.

 

The spray park was not a big hit at first - Charlotte wanted to be carried everywhere and she really didn't much like all the spray. She soon decided she wanted to go out to the regular playground. She got bored with the little playground pretty quickly and was soon climbing up to the top of the larger mushroom-shaped structure and flying down one of the slides. Actually the slide had a bump in the middle that slowed her sufficiently that she found herself motionless on the slide halfway down. "I'm stuck, mum!" she shouted - until she figured out how to get herself going again.

 

Eventually, she wanted to try the spray park again. I had been chatting briefly to a woman there the first time around, but this time we got talking a little more. She told me that her boyfriend had died last fall in a boating accident and that she was finally trying to get back to normal with her kids' first visit to the spray park. She teared up and I did too - she told me how her boyfriend had gone to check his crab traps and hadn't come back. His body had been found in US waters several days after he went missing. She was now trying to get her life on track and was taking a nursing program to keep busy and get herself back on her feet.

 

The kids all played until the water turned off at 7:00 - and Charlotte played longer than that. She liked the spray park better when it was just dribbling water rather than shooting it out at her! The park is located at N 49.05.271 W 123.05.067 and is point 56 on the map at the bottom of home page. 

55. Mackin Park, Coquitlam

Another scorcher! Charlotte and I did our grocery shopping in the morning before it got too hot, then headed to nearby Mackin Park to check out the playground. It's a big park and we often drive past it on the south side - from there, there's nothing to see but playing fields and I never knew until recently that the park also has a playground - and a spray park too. There was no one there when we got there, so I got the water going - but Charlotte was not impressed. I ran around amongst the sprinklers, but Charlotte couldn't be persuaded to come and play. Then a strong one suddenly turned on with me right in front of it and Charlotte was amused, but even less inclined to join in!

 

The playground was just adjacent to the spray park though, so we went down there to play for a bit instead. Charlotte had a new ambulance that she had just bought at the grocery store and she played with that while I once again did my best to find some nice cool shade. This heat wave is not okay with me! The cache in the park is disabled at the moment, though there are three others just outside the park. I have two of them already, but Charlotte just has the one at the Dairy Queen - we'll be back for the others! The cache is located at N 49.14.257 W 122.51.789 and is point 55 on the map at the bottom of home page.