Good evening one and all, just checking in to make sure there is still a bit of sanity left on this planet.
Anyway was going through the internet feeds when I ran across an article by Jonathan Lee via the New York Times about of all things park benches.
I read through it and it got me to thinking how Dallas really doesn’t have a long history with parks. Yes there are a few, there is Tennyson Park in East Dallas, and White Rock Lake a bit further east. There are a few in Oak Cliff where I could probably drive there, but do not know the name, yet overall the history of Dallas’ parks are more the playground type as the bedroom communities built up as Dallas expanded.
Now do not get me wrong, I grew up enjoying the heck out of these parks and many of them have a small creek that runs through them so you get a tad bit of nature to go along with the playground equipment each of them have.
Nothing compares to being 8 years old running up and down creek beds, or playing on the swings or merry go round or other equipment or swimming in the local pool and at that point in time that was the only thing that mattered. And the park benches were more for sitting down for a moment to catch your breath. Other than that there really isn’t a long history for nostalgia for either parks or park benches compared to the thoughts expressed in the article I read.
And I guess there isn’t anything to compare which is okay, Dallas is not that old of a city and it doesn’t have a very rich history. This city was built on prairies and originally attached itself to this mud pit called the Trinity River. Okay it is actually a river, but do not get excited about it. It runs along the side of downtown and they had to build two fancy bridges to get anyone to even notice it. Other than that East Texas oil money moved here in the 20th century so we have a few big buildings downtown, excessive housing, some fun spots to hang out in Uptown, Harwood and Victory Park, which isn’t a park, but houses the American Airlines Center, residential living, some restaurants and a couple of other entertainment venues. And of course there is the Dallas Cowboys, which surprisingly are doing better than I expected so pleasantly surprised. Of course they may blow by my prediction which is okay with me since I am a fan.
Anyway parks in Dallas exist, and yes there are a few in the older parts of the City where some older residents can reminisce, yet most people who grew up in Dallas probably have the same memories that I do. Parks are where we played while we grew up. And I grew up quite a while back so there was more freedom for kids. We ran around like nobody’s business and unfortunately the kids today do not have the same freedoms we had. Parks were a big part of that freedom.
And the playground equipment was much different. At least some progress was made in developing safer equipment, I know there were more than a few accidents since there was rarely adult supervision. Even when parks were staffed they were teenagers who earned less than $2 hour to check out gear like softball and baseball equipment, horse shoes, etc and so they really didn’t pay much attention to what was going on around them. And the only phone was the payphone by the pool or the phone the pool staff used.
And if there was no pool, there was no phone so getting help was an interesting endeavor. And pools were important. I swam for hours on end during the summer and eventually became a Jr. Lifeguard at one point because you know being a lifeguard was cool and you got paid, and yes less than $2 a hour, if that. A 12 year old still wanted that job though. Times change and so do people so I never finished that career path.
And I do have fond memories of parks, but to compare it to the history of park benches in the article I read, I felt a bit cheated. Nothing can be done, I grew up here, other people grew up in New York or Europe where there are parks that have an even richer history. People can sit on those benches and it is a whole different world to imagine. I have been to London, Madrid and a few outlying cities or what may be called suburbs in America and did walk through some city parks and enjoyed them, yet I didn’t stop and feel the history which now is something I wish I had done. Do not get me wrong, I really enjoyed the walks and sight seeing involved, but to stop and really just sit down on a bench and absorb everything around me was not something I thought to do. Hopefully next time I am in our country either in New York or Boston or some other New England state I will try to remember and stop for the moment. And if I ever get a chance to go back to Europe or some other part of the world with a rich history I will kick myself if I do not immerse myself in the experience of sitting in the moment to feel the history.
Parks are a part of our lives and do need much more recognition than they receive, whether in an article about benches or us contributing to projects that build more for the next generations. And these thoughts are for the large national parks to city master planned projects to the neighborhood park that may barely span a city block. If you do not have fond memories of all types of parks, then you have missed a wonderful part of life. There is nothing like camping at a state park, exploring our rich history of the west, canoeing on a river, boating on a lake, playing with other kids on a swing set, or walking a path through a large city park enjoying the view and talking to friends as you go along. I feel for you if you have missed out on this part of life. All through the world you find parks of some kind, so find and enjoy them and like the article discussed, sit on a bench and find yourself caught up in the moment and the history.
Cheers
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