Summer Evening in Canal Park

Even though the whole entire family was out and about for three or four hours this afternoon purchasing school supplies and art supplies for home and visiting the thrift store (it went well, considering . . . ) a certain parent who is home from work for the next few days was feeling quite stir crazy by six o’clock this evening.  We kicked all the big kidlets outside and sat in the family room and considered our options:  hiking, the beach, a bike ride, walking on the lakewalk, etc.  We finally came to rest on a trip down to Canal Park, because we hadn’t been there all summer long, and we weren’t exactly sure what the weather was going to do on this hazy day when rain showers seem to appear out of nowhere.

It was a great choice, a perfect mix of activities.  We glided through a few shops and even managed to fit the stroller in and around all sorts of tiny little spaces.  We window shopped. We  looked in a couple of art galleries (always inspiring and peaceful, especially since I only had the baby with me at the time).  We visited our favorite toys in the toy store.  We got caught in a rainstorm and headed back inside for a bit.  We played in the fountain, visited the bridge, walked on the lakewalk, ate a carmel apple split among all participants, watched a ship go out under the bridge in the dark, and had a terrific, warm, humid summer evening.  Our nap schedule was all mixed up anyway from the school shopping extravaganza, so it worked out perfectly to be out and about late into the evening, a perfect treat in these last few days of summer.