100 Day Project 2021

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Climb Up, Slide Down



There it sat under the tall pine trees all by itself looking a little forgotten and lonely. The children were all playing on the brightly colored plastic slides a little further down the park. Those bright primary colored slides and swings don't appeal to me, but this shiny metal one drew me near and flooded me with childhood memories.




My favorite memories were those with school friends during recess. We'd quickly run across the playground to the slide, hurry up the steps, fly down, and run around to get back in line for another turn. When I saw this slide I didn't quickly run over and go down the slide. I slowly walked toward the slide and then around it discovering things I missed as a child.




As a child I never stopped long enough to see the reflection at the top of the slide or . . .



the reflection of the sky and trees at the bottom of the slide.




I never saw the way it was bolted together or . . .




the repetition of hundreds of small squares
that create the non-slippery surface at the top.





I never saw the slide from ground level or . . . 




 the graffiti under the steps.




I missed all those things and that's all right. I only saw a shiny slide that I wanted to go down over and over again. Is it still fun to slide? Yes, it is, except maybe the slide could have been just a wee bit wider!

Taking the time to really look at an object and photographing it from several view points was an exercise for the group I belong to that's working through David  Duchemin's book The Visual Toolbox

I want to dedicate this post to our group leader, Sarah, in thanks for her hard work keeping us motivated and learning. So, this is for you, Sarah, as I know you love old playground equipment. 


12 comments:

  1. A great subject for this exercise, Cathy. You really saw so much -- amazing how our perceptions sharpen when we pay attention. And I love your memories too!

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  2. a walk down memory lane, taking in, what we all missed as kids!!!! such a sweet post and dedication!!! i burnt my legs on one of these, true story!!!

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  3. your photos of the slide are wonderful!
    i loved taking to heart the details that you found.
    i would prefer the metal to the plastic as well.
    thank you for stopping by my other blog.

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  4. You are a sweetheart, and yes I adore your slide. I still get a giddy feeling every time I see one, as they get harder and harder to find. I love all the views you captured of this slide. I loved this exercise and plan to do it again.

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  5. Oh, Cathy, this brought back memories for me as well! Our slides were metal, too. And on the school grounds they were in the direct sun. The whole playground was. Did I mention I lived in the desert? During some months of the school year you could probably have fried an egg on those slides. It was also the era when little girls wore dresses to school, so eggs weren't the only thing that could have gotten "cooked"! But that didn't stop us from carefully tucking our skirts under us and sliding down too fast to sizzle, and running around to get in line to do it again and again. This old slide was a great subject for your viewpoints exercise!

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  6. What wonderful different points of view from all the parts of this slide you notice now! I remember the slides of my childhood and they were metal too!

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  7. I remember the Christmas my sister's and I got a metal slide and all the fun we had sliding to our heart's content. Your post has brought back so many memories and like your described all the places I missed seeing while I was too busy climbing the steps for another zoom down to the ground.....

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  8. I haven't seen a metal one in years, wouldn't be a good thing here in the desert as someone would get burned.

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  9. Do you remember how slippery you could make those metal slides with wax paper and elbow grease? Love the details you captured.

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  10. Again you've outdone yourself with this great series on the slide. - I love slides and occasionally still go down them. It was fun seeing all the different details you found on this one.

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  11. Argh. Error while posting my comment...

    Anyways, kids nowadays would rather play with their gadgets or go to the mall. They miss the fun of playing with slides and other outdoor games.

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  12. Thanks for pointing out all the things I also missed when I was a kid playing on a slide!

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Thanks so much for stopping by!!