The Park

Our neighbors next door gave us the playground set they inherited when they bought their house last summer. (I am having problemos uploading photos today on blogger so i may only get this one up.)

I titled this "The Park" because that's what Jack and Drew call it. It's a pretty sweet set. Has a fort, climbing wall (in reality plastic steps that look like rocks which are better for small boys anyway), a slide, three swings, and hand rings. We had a little "baby" swing that looks like a rocket that an old neighbor gave to us. Somehow it made the move with us and now we are glad it did. Jack and Drew would rather use the big boys swings but cuz'n Cyrus is visiting later this month so it will be for him.

Before we moved this monstrosity, I spent two evenings shoveling rocks that one of previous owners had 'stored' by the fence. I still don't have a wheelbarrow. (I could have used one like a dozen times already). So the red wagon served as one as I loaded rocks and wheeled them and dumped them under the deck. In the process, Luke found some major worms. And Jack loved the rolly polly bugs he found.

On Saturday, my neighbor Noah, his nephew and I (all the people I asked to help were busy) took the thing apart and carried it across Noah's backyard. We first carried the swing half which wasn't so bad. The fort was a beast. Glad Noah's nephew was a beefcake. Where the fence becomes wire, Noah took out the staples to the wooden posts and we took the playground across. We stripped one 'carriage bolt' taking it apart so I went to Ace, Home Depot and Lowe's looking for a duplicate. Crazy nobody had the right size but Lowe's was closest with one a 1/2 inch longer.

It's still on a little slope and I have wooden posts to drive in the ground to level it off but its sturdy and not sure that job is worth the effort yet. Certainly will need help to hold it up etc. if and when we do that.

All and all the boys love it. Drew's a dare devil as he likes to throw himself back when he swings. They ask all day for Daddy to come push because I push them a little higher than mom likes.

Oh and turns out I really didn't need to shovel all those rocks because we put it at a different place. Actually where we set the fort determine where we put it. No way we were going to rearrange that.