Journey to 100 Parks #94 - Corcoran City Park - Corcoran, MN

Our next stop is my childhood park.  We've brought the kids here many times.  It's changed since I was a kid and is really showing its age, but still has a lot of fun left.

Key Features

The old concrete walkway is still one of my favorite features.  This was the only way over the creek when I was a kids, but there is a full size road now.

Another favorite is the old school merry go round.  Parker loves this thing, but I am a little worried he's going to smack his face on it.

Parker's other favorite is the tire swing and this park boasts two of them!

One more stop to throw things in the creek before leaving.

Here is a neat comparison of the primary structures at this park and Broadway Park in Crystal.  They are nearly identical to one another, but the Corcoran one appears to be older.

This one has all of the makings for a 10 swings park, but it's age drops it down a bit.  The nostalgia still keeps it high in the rankings, 9 swings.

1000 Blog Posts!

Almost exactly 10 years ago I made my first blog post and now I am writing post number 1000!  Our parks adventure really helped accelerate my progress with 93 posts so far.  I took a few moments to look back at the evolution of my blog.

My first one was a blind step in to the world of blogging.  I had thought about it in the past and was encouraged to start one after reading posts by fellow users on the What to Expect app I used while pregnant.  I shared my page on there and am still friends with Courtney who commented on my first post.

Back then it was a way to document my pregnancy and the crafts I was doing.  That was the inspiration for "Growing and Sewing Lesa," the name I was using until last fall.  I only made 17 posts in that first 6 months, all related to my pregnancy or craft projects.  It started to transition to a family style blog pretty quickly after Parker's arrival.  The craft posts became further and further in between.  I've never had a huge following, but know there is a small group of friends and family that can follow what we are doing.

One of the best things about sharing just about everything in this manner is that I almost always have quick and easy access to pictures and videos from those times.  I was able to look back while at Bass Lake Park the other day in order to recreate the picture of baby Parker on the slide.  There have been countless other times out and about that I have been able to look things up.  I used to scrapbook, but stopped doing that shortly after we were married.  I have found this to be a new version of scrapbooking without the need for hundreds of dollars in supplies (oh the money I spent.)

This platform has also been a "safer" way to share hard, personal stories.  There is less fear and pressure when it's not on Facebook.  I know only a few people will see it, but it's cathartic and therapeutic to share in a "public" arena.  I can go back to these posts and see where my mind was, the things Parker was doing, and see the immense progress and growth we have all made.  

Whether you have just recently started following our family, or have been there since the beginning, thank you for for listening and watching.  I look forward to where the next 1000 posts will take us.

Journey to 100 Parks #93 - Wildwood Park - Golden Valley, MN

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has arrived in Minnesota giving all of my pictures a bit of a sepia toned look.  I chatted with another parents about our journey to 100 parks, so if you found my blog, "Hello and welcome!"

Key Features

We've seen quite a few of these rock walls, but this was a series of three attached to each other which adds a unique challenge.

The highlight for both kids was the zip line.  This is a cable style one we've only seen one other time at Bassett Creek Park.  I didn't get many pictures, but took several videos you can watch at the bottom.

There was a strong wildlife theme throughout and it included an interactive sound board with animals from the American northwest.

This is another great space to play.  While the zip line was a hit, there weren't any spinning features for Parker.  Still a solid 8 swings.

Journey to 100 Parks #92 - Circle Park - Plymouth, MN

This park was a bit of a surprise.  We were supposed to be in Nebraska this weekend, but the trip was cancelled, so we were a bit lost, not knowing what to do.  We took a drive this afternoon and started cruising around for a park to stop at.  We saw this one on the map and just drove to it without looking it up.  

Key Features

This is a pretty incredible park slapped in the middle of a neighborhood that we never would have found if not for this adventure.  It was a pretty toasty afternoon, but the humidity wasn't too bad.

This gem gets a near perfect score, 9 swings!

Journey to 100 Parks #91 - Bass Lake Park - Crystal, MN

This is my favorite "throw back" yet.  This was our home park at our old house.  We visited this one more than any other and have a lot of sweet memories here.  While the playground is staying the same for now, there are doing some other construction on the grounds, so there wasn't a sign, so this is the second one I needed to photoshop.

Key Features

Here a few comparison pictures of Parker.  The first is from July 2012 and is one of my all times favorites!  The second is from May 2014.

This one is packed with climbing and spinning activities which kept both kids pretty well occupied.  Parker was a bit distracted by the pool party going on at the house next to the park,

When not checking out the pool, Parker was at the tire swing and on the standing spinner.

A solid contender in the park game, so this one get 8 swings