a fountain near our home

In My Neighborhood:: Fun

There is a nature preserve within walking distance to our home that has a playground, trails through the woods, letterboxes hidden about, tennis courts, basketball courts, etc.

We gravitate toward an old swing set that sits in a huge sandbox. Not long ago the kids built an intricate tunnel system
with hills, volcanoes, and bridges. They all connected and had plenty of room for the playmobil folks. We went two mornings in a row to work on the tunnels, but day three we had an appointment and could not make it.
I figured that the tunnels would be gone when we returned, and they were. Wouldn't you be devastated? Hours of work had been raked away, or stomped down by others, yet my kids just ran through the woods, jumped on a swing and carried on in that carefree way they have. There is a lesson in that.

(the oldest captured this gorgeous photo near our spot)

Another fun aspect of our neighborhood is that we live within two blocks of the University. Which means we always see fun signs like this:

"Letters today ~ Leaders Tomorrow"

And cool little places like The Slice. So delicious and equipped with video games, and any little sundries a co-ed might need.
And now, the pièce de résistance:

A vintage clothing store! It just opened this summer. The oldest and I love to peruse the racks. As a huge Brady Bunch fan, she is particularly found of 1960s Marcia Brady skirts and dresses. Fortunately, she's got a slim enough waist to pull them off!

I love to try the 70s hippie skirts. However, she won't let me out of the store with one in tow........ that's probably for the greater good.
We snatch up old lacy gloves and sweet aprons. There are some great hats and shoes and handbags. It isn't very affordable, but it is fun. And trying things on is free!

There is a Subway and a coffee shop around the corner, and although we don't do it often, it is nice to have the option of grabbing a couple of books and walking to one of those places for lunch.
We pass apartments with names like "The Spring Haven", "Lincoln Park"
"Ramona" and "Hazeart" .

And there is the biggest, gnarliest, coolest tree on campus. The kids climb all over it. Its branches become horses, or foes to defeat, or the tip of a mountain.

And do I have a picture of said tree? No. But you bet we'll capture one soon!
Tomorrow (or today/yesterday as the case may be) is "weird". I've got plenty of that stored up for you, and the oldest keeps adding more ideas. Oh, mom you've got to take a picture of this or that. It is so weird!