Saturday in the Park (on Sunday)

After our temperatures bottomed out a few weeks ago, it was such a pleasant surprise to experience the warm-up last weekend.

Holly and I wanted to get out and enjoy the spring-like temps so we headed to a park. On our Sunday afternoon agenda, we planned to drop by my folks’ house for a moment, so we had lots of greenspace options at our fingertips. It’s not like we were just going to stay in the Town of Farragut proper.

After a quick discussion, we chose John Bynon Park – located behind the Westside YMCA – for our outdoor activities.

I guess there were lots of like-minded folks out to soak up some rays and to filch a bit of an April-like afternoon. There was so much activity. The place was alive, as though it were a Saturday in the Park (on Sunday).

There was not a man selling ice cream but, otherwise, there were tons of other citizens – young and old – out to enjoy the day. I saw numerous young families escorting their kids as they rode bikes on the track or frolicked around the various play structures. There were also older couples walking their dogs or just enjoying the day.

I also saw:

• Young guys playing a game of ultimate Frisbee
• Some tennis and basketball enthusiasts on the courts
• Two fencers (and a fencing instructor) reminding me of the “Cyrano” days in our home

The unseasonably warm temps seemed to have exacerbated everyone’s yearning for an early spring. That may have prompted my choice of a t-shirt and shorts for our outing. Fortunately, I didn’t see anyone who’d laugh at my garb.

 

Holly remembered that we frequented the same park when she and Paul were toddlers. We lived nearby and it was always a fun destination as weary parents sought an outlet for the uber-energy of two loquacious and energetic youngsters. 

Nap-time usually followed the outings as night follows day.

And springtime usually follows winter in the same manner. We may have been pushing it a bit on Sunday. Still, no one seemed to mind if the long-range forecast hinted at a return of Jack Frost next week.

For a weekend, it was just fun to get outside and enjoy the thaw.

JG

Originally posted 1/20/2015