Hillcrest Elementary

Classic colors at an old school on a summer day.

This isn’t the playground I grew up with, but it is it’s successor. The Hillcrest Elementary playground in Bloomington was rebuilt probably more than a decade ago, so I don’t have first hand experience as a kid playing on it, but I do go back to visit it a couple times a year. It’s a… Continue reading Hillcrest Elementary

Reynolds Park

I was in Bloomington the other day, over near the west side, when I had a free morning with the littlest kid and I ended up at Reynolds Park just northwest of Hyland Park. The play equipment is branded as Xccent Play, though that is a bit of a mystery as I can’t find any… Continue reading Reynolds Park

Past Photos from Japan Nº 1

A train station on the Noto line, famous for it's Sakura blooms (cherry trees).

I have some (okay, many) photos of Japan that I can share leading up to our move there, so I’m going to post a few times up to when we leave. This are just picked out of a very large heap without much rhyme or reason. Kamakura Kamakura is a suburb of Yokohama, which itself… Continue reading Past Photos from Japan Nº 1

Woodhaven

There is a large “destination” playground in Eagan that I recently heard about, Woodhaven. I initially just checked it out online and was largely dismissive of it because of the evident lack of shade. It’s entirely surfaced with poured-in-place rubber (PIP) which also gives that extra “sun baked” feeling to it, that feeling they cleared… Continue reading Woodhaven

Washington Park

Washington Park is a normal community park in Richfield in the northwest corner of the Cedar/77 and 494 intersection. An old friend mentioned it as some place they were hoping to check out and I guess I beat them to it on an overcast day. My overall feeling was that there wasn’t any one particular… Continue reading Washington Park