Taking Life Around Me......Parks

This #sundaystills challenge is hosted by Terri from Second Wind Leisure. It's a great themed photography challenge that you'll enjoy. I love seeing the other participants interpretation of the theme each week...it causes me to think outside the box. I joined in hopes of it pushing me to get out and take more photos...I have to some degree, but I also like that Terri is okay with us finding photos in our archives, which is also a lot of fun. So check out my photos and then head over to Terri's page to participate or visit other's posts. There are some awesome contributors who always inspire me. 

In honor of June being a month to celebrate the great outdoors, our theme is parks. I love visiting parks. I love the variety you find in them. They come in all sizes and differ in what they have to offer. Perhaps some might even have you doing a double take..."wait, how is this a park." or "WOW, this is an incredible park". Now that I have grandchildren, we go to parks when we have a chance. 

According to AI: A park is a publicly accessible, green recreational area. Parks often provide facilities for rest and recreation, such as playgrounds, walking trails, athletic fields, and gardens. They can also serve to protect wildlife and natural habitats. 

This park in Sunriver is one we've frequented since our girls were little. It is still very much the same. When we visited in 2013 bringing a friend with us (middle) I had to get a picture of all of them. It's fun to revisit places. I hope to share this park with my grandkids someday.

Amusement parks are pretty fun. This one is the county fair, buuuut when I typed in "park" in my photos app, these two popped up. 

My grandkids probably feel like our backyard is like a park with their playset we got at Costco. 

Last month when my grandson didn't have school, we dropped his sister off at preschool, ran some errands and then went to one of the playground areas at the local Lake Sacajawea park. There are several located around the lake. this is the biggest one. 

A place we've visited for several years is Seabrook, Washington. There are a few parks throughout the community and this one has a fun zipline the kids love. 

We can't forget the National parks. I've loved visiting a few and while I didn't see wildlife in those parks like I would've liked to, it's okay, the beauty is like none other. 

Recently I took the grandkids to a local park that is absolutely amazing. Haydu Park, in Kalama, Washington has many grassy areas for soccer, some picnic tables, baseball field, horse arena and the best play set. I mean look at this thing! The kids love it. There are also paths that will take you to the river, or that you can use for a nice walk. 

It's been a bit since we've been here and they kept saying "oh my goodness". We were also the only ones there. 

Another favorite spot in Kalama, Wa (which is 10 minutes north of us), is the Marine Park. This large Columbia River Waterfront park has so much to offer. A newly built market, lots of green space, an amphitheater, McMenamins restaurant and lodge, a museum and boat and fishing access...there's probably more. It's a perfect place. Oh, and they even have a section that is designated for exercise. It has stations with instructions as to what you can do at each one. 

In our own town there is the Horseshoe lake park and smaller neighborhood parks throughout the town. None of which I have photos of or can find. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin