Sliding Up

When I was a kid, oh so long ago, playgrounds had slides made of metal. On hot days, the slides would heat up and burn the backs of your legs, whether you were wearing shorts or pants. And if you were wearing shorts, by golly, you'd stick to the dang things, no matter what the weather. And all the slides had that flat area at the end which pooled water when it rained, and that pool would stay there for days, rendering the slide basically useless. That was part of being a kid, back in my day.

Slides are different now. They all seem to be made of molded plastic. There's no way such slides could heat up like the metal ones did. And where are the flat areas to pool the water? Is nothing sacred anymore?!

Well, what slides are made of may have changed, but the way children play on them certain hasn't. I can't tell you how many times I walked up a slide like the boy in the photo is doing, just to slide back down and do it all over again.

Of course, in my day it was harder. You can't slip on plastic like you could on metal. Especially when it rained. Ah, the good ol' days. ;)

The above photo was taken at Westown Park in Stayton.

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