Fort Snelling State Park: The Beach

We are going to chew the nougaty center out of this urban gem this week; yesterday we dipped our toe into the visitor center and Pike Island. Today, the beach. So far he's mostly playing with his new water pump shooter, which works. He's having fun.

People from states with oceans or even giant freshwater lakes will of course scoff at the following assertion, but they can suck it: this beach rocks. It's wide, sandy, and conveniently located near an international airport. I smell LAYOVER!

No one is going to be surfing on Snelling Lake, but you might be nibbled by fish. Nibbled on, not eaten by, which is something to tell the teenaged girls who were purposefully freaking themselves out with the GIANT FISH in the deeper part of the swimming area. "EEK! A six-inch perch swam by my leg!" Granted, if a 26-inch carp did that, I might EEK as well. And then I would move to the shallow area and let the sunfish stare at my ankles.

It was a transparently gorgeous day with no ulterior motives. We stopped at the Dollar Store on our way there to see about a new beach shovel. Finn has 27 of these, but I could find none this morning. These will last a day or two, but I tell myself the joy they will buy will be worth the dollars. (Parents lie to themselves all the time.) I also bought him a balloon, but that took a trip when I opened his door to fasten his seat belt. I got a face full of shiny, yellow smiley face and off it went, smiling and sailing over the roof of an unfortunate strip mall.

The water is warm and relatively shallow. Finn is 3'6" tall, and he would have to walk out pretty far to get himself into trouble. Still, there are no lifeguards here, so people should be vigilant lest their small child in a colorful innertube scares away all the geese or your 5-year-old buries his new yellow beach strainer in the sand and can't find it (I have no idea who that last example is).

There are two depth levels: sunfish and carp. They are separated by little floaties and the shrieks of adolescence.

Surrounding the beach is a large picnic area with many tables and grills. Trees dot the mown lawn providing some shade most everywhere, ensuring that fistfights don't break out over the prime spot to leave your trash behind when you go home.

There are changing rooms and bathrooms as well as a playground adjacent to the beach.

You can rent a canoe, and there is also a fishing pier, where they do regular "learn how to fish" events.

We went to the beach twice in one day and slipped a doctor's appointment complete with blood test (different blog) in between visits. Finn really enjoyed the sand and shallow, warm water, and the weather was perfection (low 70's, breeze, sunny blue sky). Due, I think, to the breeze, the mosquitoes were not noticeable, but there were some lovely biting flies, so I again recommend bug spray.


More pictures here.

Lewis Park, Saint Paul

Dear St. Paul Parks and Recreation:

You are truly excellent. Your pools are glorious and your parks are numerous and inviting. I'd be your Leslie Knope any day.

But there is an execrable amount of trash in some of the parks I have visited recently, notably, Lewis Park. I spent some time cleaning it up, so before we left there was only a partially dismantled kids' bike and a damp, decapitated stuffed animal of some kind within range of the play area. Oh, I didn't pick up the empty condom wrapper, either because, well, you know...

After this communion with candy wrappers, bottles, and beer cans, I noticed a lack of accessible and clearly-marked bins. The only receptacle I saw in Lewis Park is what I would call a "burn bin:" a rusty old steel oil drum like the kind in which we used to burn our paper trash.

The website for Lewis Park shows a department that is obviously proud of the new play area and splash pad, and it should be:

"The play area features a new line of play equipment like nothing you have seen before. It has something for kids of all ages to play on.  Rave reviews have been made of the synthetic turf surfacing which allows people of all abilities to access the play equipment.  It even allows parents to get into the play equipment to assist their children or even play on it themselves. Another highlight of the improvements is the debut of the City of Saint Paul’s first splash pad. Water sprays from 5 in-ground jets, 2 water wiggles, and a water tent which are all activated by a touch bollard at the edge of the splash pad."

Lewis Park is definitely a nice place, with large trees and grassy areas as well as the above-mentioned play set and splash pad. But there is only street parking and a single port-o-potty. The trash made me begin to despair for humanity. Recently, my son asked me why people litter, and I couldn't give reasons other than laziness and not caring. Wecould get into a lot of sociological discussions about the disenfranchisement of urban youth and how this can translate into a lack of neighborhood pride and connection, but that doesn't clean up my median on a daily basis.

In any case, this park had a feeling of desolation. Granted, it wasn't the most glorious of days, and it was before lunch on a weekday, but I was surprised that there were not more people around. And the playground, while cool, is a bit too big for my boy (3' 5.75"). There are no slides or traditional swings, though there are two toddler swings. He had difficulty navigating the climby bits because he could not reach or otherwise breach the distance between two points. There is also a small climbing wall, and it has a message for you.

My guess is that you are aware of the issues with trash and assignations that involve the use of prophylactics, and that it's something that is difficult to combat. I know that Americans have been brainwashed to believe that taxes are the devil, and they don't understand the function of taxation and all the good that government does on a daily basis to provide them with a stable society. I know that cuts have occurred at all service levels and revenues are down, but is there anything that can be done?

Love,

-kitty

Newell Park: Saint Paul, MN

The Trees

by Philip Larkin

The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again

And we grow old? No, they die too,

Their yearly trick of looking new

Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh

In fullgrown thickness every May.

Last year is dead, they seem to say,

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

Newell Park in St. Paul's Hamline-Midway neighborhood is most remarkable for its huge and numerous oak trees. It is also host to the annual Heartwood Festival (formerly the Hamline-Midway Folk Festival).

From the Saint Paul Parks site:

"One of the oldest parks in Saint Paul, Newell Park was dedicated in 1908. The park is named after Stanford Newell, attorney, member of the first Saint Paul Park Board, and U.S. Minister to the Netherlands from 1897 to 1906.

Park development began in 1927. The pavilion, which still stands today, was built in 1929. The park was a center of community activity throughout the 1930s and many large celebrations were held there."

We live a few blocks from this park, so it is an easy evening or anytime destination. If you are reading this and don't think that you have access to something similar, I encourage you to pull up a map. Or even pull OUT a map, like on real paper and everything, and make sure. Many urban areas have undiscovered places you can take your kid, and even the smallest patch of ground can be teeming with interesting things. Remember, just because you have seen it doesn't mean your kid has, and just because you think it's common doesn't mean your kid will. We notice so much more when we are with Finn because he is seeing things we don't, and we are looking for things to show him.

 "Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut or acorn."-Treebeard

There are many picnic tables as well as a couple of shelters, plus bathrooms on the west side of the pavilion. There is street parking south and west of the park and two parking lots on the north side. This is a common gathering space for parties and family reunions. Other amenities include  a small basketball court, baseball diamond, bike racks, and water fountains.

Unfortunately, people don't seem to pick up after themselves at this park as well as one might hope, and people sit in their cars a lot in the parking lot. That said, no one has ever bothered me, and the parking lot is over the hill from the playground and on the other side of the park from the oak grove.

More Photos Here.

Newell Park
North Fairview Avenue and Hewitt Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104

Evergreen Park, Roseville Minnesota

We have a hanging in our house that says "Once a year, go someplace you have never been."
- The Dalai Lama.

I've never been behind my garage. Does that count? Not Zen enough?

However, we had never been to Evergreen Park in Roseville, Minnesota, either, until today (Map). 

This suburban park is large and has nice trees plus a fence around the playground to keep the kiddos away from the street, leaving you free to read a book or play with your smartphone while they run and jump and risk injury.* The bathrooms are right next to the playground, which is a bonus when your kid shrieks, "I have to go pee!" at the last minute. It looks like the have a space for birthday parties as well.

There are baseball fields where Little League games take place, and we happened to arrive on one such day, so the place was teeming with kids in uniforms and overly competitive parents. Oh hey! There's a snack counter with hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches. Probably only on Little League days, but be warned in case your kid, like mine, wants all the food he sees someone else having. There's a small parking lot right next to the playground, but that won't help you if there are games happening. We parked across the four-lane, median-divided street, which was less than ideal.

We don't go to the suburbs much because we are Those People, but we hear that they have all the good schools, malls, and parks.

Evergreen Park

1810 County Road B

Roseville, MN

 

*I'm KIDDING. I always bring a flask with me.ª

ªOK, kidding again. We particularly enjoyed the twisty slide and the green tubey thing with the holes in it. The whole family could get in there at once or one person could be outside and play Troll Under the Bridge.

Dunning Park, St. Paul, MN

Mama had some politicking to do at the Senate District Convention, so Pete and Finn came by toward the end to view the proceedings and check out the park adjacent to St. Paul Central High School.

 

Dunning Park in Saint Paul is nice. It's right in the center of town, so it's easily accessibly. It does not have a lot of shade, so I imagine later in the year, you would need to make sure you have sunscreen and hats. They have a big kid playground and a little kid playground along with a tire swing, big swing, and toddler swing. Helmets not necessary, at least for kids...

There are baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and a basketball court with restrooms in the center of the park. There is at least one picnic table and parking at the school and at the park.

Dunning Recreation Center and Dunning Fields
1221 Marshall Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55104‎
(651) 632-5124
Toni Stone Field at Dunning Sports Complex

Aldine Park in St. Paul Minnesota

Aldine Park in St. Paul Minnesota, a set on Flickr.

Photos from Aldine Park in St. Paul, MN