Hometown: Assignment #3

Friday! WooHoo! It was a pretty good day today - the sun was sort of out, the wind was only slightly blowing and the rain has held off. But the best part was while driving to Costco I noticed how there's this tinge of green on the trees, bushes and grass. That great yellow-green that tells you new buds are popping. And if you look a little longer you'll notice little bits of reds and yellows that tell you tulips and daffodils are blooming, too. As thoughts turn to Spring and the chance to get out, or at least open doors and windows to the fresh air, in our house, thoughts of and requests to go to the park become more frequent. We are lucky, our backyard may be postage-stamp big, but we have a park less than a block away. I can see it from my kitchen window. It's a great little neighborhood pocket park. When the land here was a farm, the park space was an orchard, so there are huge apple trees, though they don't seem to be fruit-bearing anymore, a creek and a haunted (or enchanted depending on the season) "forest." Add the playground equipment and a large, open, grassy space and it's better than a backyard.

It was the scene for many neighborhood activities: Egg Hunts, with the bright colored orbs spread out all over the grassy area - hardly hidden, but exciting nonetheless. Pumpkin Patches, with mini pumpkins strewn in the haunted forest, which was decorated with other beasties and treats. 4th of July Picnics, where the 4th of July Bike Parade would end with cool refreshments like Popsicles and lemonade. There were pony rides, balloon artists, puppeteers, fire trucks and even a brass quartet that played Christmas music when Santa came to the park one frozen December afternoon. So much of my kids' holidays were enjoyed there. It's a little sad now, though, with the social committee gone, Matthew won't get those experiences that his siblings enjoyed for several years. He'll just know it as the park with the great haunted forest and a creek for "crawdadding." The sight for buried treasure and ghost hunting. And a good place to go swing. Assignment #3: Photograph your local park. One you go to regularly, be it traditional playground-style or maybe less traditional. Maybe your time, these days, is spent at soccer parks and baseball parks. Whatever type of park you frequent, take a shot of it. Have it linked up by Wednesday evening to be eligible for Treats.