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.
