Wooden Playground

I love the playground at our local elementary school.  There's a little brook that runs behind the playground, and 4 slides, wobbly bridges, tunnels, and towers, and loads of different monkey bars.  Emmett and I spent an hour there yesterday clambering around and enjoying the last of the foliage and the crisp fall air. Even the light is crisp and sharp at this time of year, it has such a different feel than soft hazy summer sunlight.  Every once and a while small groups of kids come out for recess, I can't seem to figure out their schedule, and we just try to stay out of the way and Emmett marvels at all the things the big kids can do.  Otherwise we usually have the place to ourselves.  For some reason today I had a little moment when it struck me how nice it is to live in a place where public places don't get defaced by disenfranchised youth and there isn't trash everywhere.   And it is nice to be able to climb into all the little nooks and crannies without worrying what you might find.  I'm sure that sounds very square and thirty-something, but there it is.  I'll just take it as a sign that the decision to move to the country is working for me.