An Evening at the Lake

We've had a lot of perfect summer evenings lately, and yesterday after some cajoling Anna and I went to the lake--Lake Harriet. If it's not too hot, I've tried to get us there one night a week, or one night every other week to play at the playground, hang out by the water, take a ride on the trolley, or walk around the lake. Lately, Anna's been too impatient to stay in the stroller for a walk all around the lake, so we haven't done that in a long time. Her favorite thing to do is take a ride on the trolley, Anna LOVES the trolley.

Generally, Lake Harriet is the family-friendly lake. There are always lots of kids around, and there's even a tree on the walking path on the south side of the lake with a little door where kids can leave notes, supposedly for a little elf/gnome/? to answer them. Lake Harriet is also the most shaded, so when Anna was younger, or even now when she falls asleep in the stroller while we're walking it's easier to keep the sun out of her eyes. There's also the Bandshell, of course, with live music every night of the summer.

Anna calls the playground at Lake Harriet the "turtle park", because there's a play turtle there the kids can climb on and pretend to ride. The equipment is in decent shape, and Anna usually makes a friend or two while running around. On one of the slides she and I will sit side by side and count "1, 2, 3!" and slide down together. We've had picnics there, too.

Last evening was gorgeous, and we walked to the lake. There was a perfect breeze for sailing, and there were several boats speeding back and forth across the water. Sitting by the bandshell we could hear the anchored boats clang and the ducks quietly quacking to each other on the water. We usually get a hotdog and share some kind of treat, the ice cream sold there is so, so good. The people watching is also worthwhile and we see a lot of dogs which is great fun for Anna. Dog owners will stop and tell Anna she can pet their dog but when it comes to that moment when she's about to do it she stops and decides she's too shy to follow through.

We listened to a couple songs at the bandshell, and the musician happened to sing They Paved Paradise which is one of those songs that when I hear it, I pick Anna up and we dance around the kitchen. I could tell that Anna recognized it last night--she gave me a big smile.

Usually we take a ride on the trolley but it got too late for us to do that last night, or spend as much time at the playground as Anna would have liked, but I promised her we'd be back and I know we will. I feel so lucky, so fortunate to have such a lovely park within walking distance of our house.