As many keys
as are on a full-size piano,
the 88 Lexington parks have created
a symphony of experiences.
In a Covid year that has stolen so much from us,
a personal challenge
to visit all the parks in our city
has given us
purpose in our monotony
family time while separated from others
eyes to see the wonders of God's Beautiful Playground
re-discovery of the rejuvenation of recreation
and joy in simple pleasures
88
From venturing out during quarantine to Wellington Park
in the beginning of May 2020
to completing the challenge at Hisle Farm Park
at the end of February 2021
From walking to Stonewall
to driving 30 minutes to Raven Run
From the lake at Jacobson
to the non-lake at Lakeview Park on Lakeshore Drive
(at least we've never found it!)
From splashing in the creek and springs at Gardenside
to riding the ferry across the Kentucky River at Donaldson
From the history of notable people
to the history of Lexington
at Phoenix Park and McConnell Springs
From the turtle sighting at Pleasant Ridge
to the snake sighting at Lakeview
to the deer sighting at Veterans Park
From climbing the army tank at Veterans
to climbing the logs at the Arboretum
to climbing the skate park elements at Valley
to climbing the big rocks at Deer Haven
to climbing the horse statues at Thoroughbred
(Zero "No Climbing" signs -- I promise!)
From the old favorite Shillito
to the new discoveries of Lou Johnson
and Kenawood
and Mary Todd
and Liberty
From the undeveloped land at Cardinal Run North
to all the amenities at Lansdowne-Merrick
From the liberation of our first playground after nine months (Castlewood)
to the realization at Southpoint and Meadowbrook
that you don't need a playground to have fun
From the new playground at Johnson Heights
to the soon-to-be-demolished one at Southland
From a rainy day at Woodland
to the snowy days at Green Acres Park and Gratz Park
From our sweaty picnic at Coldstream
to our icy picnic at Mapleleaf Forest
From the countryside of Masterson Station
to the heart of the city at Henry Tandy Centennial Park
From the open fields of Kirklevington
to the woods of Preston's Springs
From the tiny 0.3 acres of Burley
to the whopping 734 acres of Raven Run
From the mere minutes spent at Elkhorn
to the hours over multiple days at Harrods Hill
88
Melody alone; harmony together
Heart-thumping bass; ear-splitting soprano
Sharp black; plain white
Minor keys on the blah days
and major keys on the zip-a-dee-doo-dah days
Sustained fermatas and staccato moments
All better together
All better together with people I love
88
Worth playing
every note
Worth playing
at every park
Thanks, Lexington, for this awesome parks system
you've established and maintained!
Thanks, God, for this world of animals, plants, and water
You've created and sustained!
This collage obviously doesn't contain a picture from all 88 parks -- free collage makers don't let you use that many pictures. I hope to make one eventually, though!
[Note: We visited all 88 LFUCG parks in the span of a Covid year. While our quarantine began in mid-March 2020, we didn't actually venture out to the parks system until the beginning of May when we walked to Wellington. Later in the summer, I set the goal to visit all the parks with paved trails, then expanded it to all the parks in "safe" neighborhoods, and eventually, I figured we might as well shoot for all 88. There are a few more listed on the Parks and Rec website, but some are just community centers or golf courses (or a model airplane facility!). And there are a couple that are no longer owned by the city, and the list just hasn't been updated (I double-checked with someone who works in Planning and Design for the Parks and Rec department). We visited #88 at the end of February 2021. Since I had pictures of each one, I wrote blog posts for each (some super long and some super short and everything in between). These are not meant to be extensive reviews but more a record of our experiences. The links to the posts for all 88 parks are here]
💕Love this! What wonderful memories you have made with your boys!
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