Wintermission at Firemen's Park, Niagara Falls, ON
© Christine Mastroianni, all rights reserved
We veered into the glacial parking lot, our determined tires wavering and swimming through the densely packed snow, putting our trusty four-wheel drive system solidly to the test. The air was crowded with pristine snowflakes.. frosty feathers fluttering happily in the late afternoon breeze before coming to rest upon naked elm branches and seasonally abandoned swing seats. But it wasn't at all cold, it was pleasantly winter: fresh, agreeable, lively.
Upon retrieving two plastic toboggans and closing the hatch, I waded towards the achromatic hill behind two little guys who were bursting with innocent energy. They strode forward in anticipation, evidently oblivious to the impending downsides of going sliding: the periodic sting of cold snow against warm, exposed wrists and calves, the occasional assault of iced powder against the face upon reaching the bottom of the slope, and trudging uphill yet again with a plastic monstrosity pressed against the back, seemingly to have doubled in weight since the first run! Nope, they just wanted to slide... just as it should be!
I surveyed the modest incline and wondered if this could really be the big thrill ride that had been so heartily recommended to me over the past few snowy weeks. I decided that there must be another hill hiding somewhere around the park, but subsequently decided that it wasn't worth expending the energy to locate it. This one was perfect in their eyes, and I gleefully spent the next hour securing bright blue and green vessels against the slick launchpad, steadying them for embarking, then synchronising their release so as to ensure a fair race!
Eventually, however, some of the aforementioned consequences took their toll and one of them remembered that a tall, shiny thermos had made the trip with us. "Hot chocolate!!!!" he shrieked, and led the charge back to the parking lot. They patiently (okay, okay.. somewhat impatiently!) took turns cradling the inverted thermos cap with snow covered mittens, savouring the smooth, warm chocolate as its sweet smelling steam swirled against their flushed cheeks.. one of the definite upsides of going sliding!
I surveyed the modest incline and wondered if this could really be the big thrill ride that had been so heartily recommended to me over the past few snowy weeks. I decided that there must be another hill hiding somewhere around the park, but subsequently decided that it wasn't worth expending the energy to locate it. This one was perfect in their eyes, and I gleefully spent the next hour securing bright blue and green vessels against the slick launchpad, steadying them for embarking, then synchronising their release so as to ensure a fair race!
Eventually, however, some of the aforementioned consequences took their toll and one of them remembered that a tall, shiny thermos had made the trip with us. "Hot chocolate!!!!" he shrieked, and led the charge back to the parking lot. They patiently (okay, okay.. somewhat impatiently!) took turns cradling the inverted thermos cap with snow covered mittens, savouring the smooth, warm chocolate as its sweet smelling steam swirled against their flushed cheeks.. one of the definite upsides of going sliding!
No comments:
Post a Comment