This weekend, my goddaughter Allison was visiting from southern New Jersey. Allison is my cousin Elizabeth's daughter and she is nine going on twenty-five. Last time she visited, I took her to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. Afterward, we went back to my house for a sleepover that included baking cupcakes, playing Wii, and endless board games. This time, knowing that I only had a short window of time with her on Sunday, I tried to think of something fun for us to do together. After a little bit of thought, I came up with the perfect idea: The Forest Park Carousel!
I remembered riding that carousel when I was just a little girl and was sad when it closed down in 2009. Seeing as it reopened this Memorial Day, I thought it would be a great place to take Allison. After my husband finished with work for the day, he picked us up at my parents house and drove us up to the carousel. While ticket prices sure have changed since I was a little girl, it was worth the money purely for the nostalgia! I bought tickets for Allison and I, and hubby agreed to stand on the sidelines and take pictures/video. When it was our turn to climb aboard, I told Allison to pick her favorite horse and that I would ride the horse next to hers. Allison took her choice seriously, inspecting several horses before choosing a favorite. We climbed atop our adjacent horses, and waiting for the ride to begin. The old-fashioned music made me smile as the horses began to rise and fall. I pointed out some of the antique workmanship, but I think the beauty was a little lost on a nine-year-old! Nevertheless we had a lovely ride, as you can tell by this picture:
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That is me in the background, leaning backward to give my husband a cheesy grin. I chose this picture because it provides Allison with some anonymity, but rest assured I got better ones on my iPhone!
After riding the carousel, we decided to further explore Forest Park. After seeing a sign for it, Allison asked if we could check our Strack Memorial Pond. Ever prepared, I broke out some bug-repellant wipes, slathered it on, and agreed to hike down the hill. Strack Memorial Pond is named for the first resident if my hometown to die while serving in the Vietnam War. It's a tranquil little spot in one of the busiest boroughs in New York City.
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Allison seemed to enjoy the pond, and my husband tried to teach her to skip rocks. I pointed out a dragonfly hovering over the lily-pads and my husband spotted a turtle peeking his head above the water. Allison was immediately interested in the turtle and wondered if she could catch him and take him back to Jersey as a new pet! I told her that would be pretty difficult, as I have no experience in the trapping of turtles. I also indicated that he was a wild turtle and would probably prefer the pond to a tank at home. She pleaded for a pet turtle from a pet shop and I told her that would need her mother's permission. With her mother's approval, it might make a good birthday present this year!
To distract her from all things turtle, the husband suggested we have a rock skipping contest. Since he was the only one who could actually skip a rock, we quickly amended it to a contest on long distance rock throwing. I am ashamed to admit that I lost to not only my husband, but also to a nine-year-old. And that is even after I picked the smallest rock of the three, figuring I'd be able to throw it farther. Alas, rock throwing is not on my list of talents. It's a good thing I have other marketable skills. After my husband won the contest, he insisted that he deserved to throw Allison in the pond in lieu of a prize. He picked her up and she began to shriek. I managed to snap a picture before he set her down and assured her he was only teasing.
After tossing a few more rocks, we climbed back up the hill and walked to the car. We drove the few blocks to my parents house and found a lovely dinner of chicken cacciatore waiting to be devoured. Allison, of course, wanted to sit next to her "fairy godmother." I think it's absolutely adorable that she still calls me that, even after all these years. I don't think it will last much longer, with the teen years fast approaching. Nevertheless, it was a lovely Sunday and I hope that it will be a nice memory for Allison to take back to New Jersey with her.
