After the long, cold and snowbound winter that has finally ended...(thank you Mother Nature), my soon-to-be 6 year old son and I are so excited to resume our weekly ritual of spending time outside at the park. Last weekend, we went to our favorite park for some outdoor time.

We both love the park for different reasons. My son's favorite part is the basketball court. At almost 6 years old, my son does not actually play basketball, nor does he show any interest in the sport. Like most 6 year old boys, my son's favorite pastimes are planes, trains and automobiles. He loves the basketball court because it happens to be home to 10 - 15 communal toy vehicles for the kiddos to push, pull, ride or drive. On any given day, there are bicycles, ride-on cars and ride-in trucks being driven around by kids of all ages. These vehicles have been donated and are available for all children to use while visiting the park.  Children drive or ride around solo or sometimes in a conga line pretending they are stuck in traffic! In fact, one half of the court has been transformed into "streets" with lane markings for the kiddos to follow! 

Last weekend after some time with the cars, I convinced my son to take a walk around the park. In addition to the great toy structures and cars, the park also has walking trails that lead through the woods around the perimeter of the park.  Walking the trails, you get the feeling of being far away from the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. My son became so excited as we meandered through the tree-lined trails.  Halfway through the first trail, he found a "walking stick" and announced that our "hike" had commenced!  As we walked the trails through the park, I captured a few images of our time in the "great outdoors".  As we ended our first "hike" my son asked if we could find another place to hike on the weekends.  I replied...yes, absolutely...we can.