Cement Slide Memories

Seeing my grandson on the cement slide the other day not only made my heart smile at his joy, but also brought back some great memories of my own fun times there. Hmmm, should I confess? During high school, everyone had to be out of the park by nightfall – yeah, right! One night, when I am SURE I was not even supposed to be in the vicinity, a bunch of my friends and I decided to pay a visit to the park. Of course we just HAD to go down the slide (we actually kept a roll of wax paper in the car – to make our ride faster)! The new fad at the time was wearing ‘petti pants’ under your skirt – something like a slip, only with legs (okay, giving away my age again!) – back then, girls mostly wore skirts. My mom had just given me new petti-pants that were so pretty – pale yellow fine cotton, with lace trim. So, here I am, at the slide, with my brand new petti pants – now what??? I can’t pull up the petti pants…so I just hitched up my skirt and rode the slide with those! I ripped out the whole back side, and caught some SERIOUS trouble the next day – there was ABSOLUTELY no way to explain what happened to my new, cherished piece of clothing without admitting to our very late night trip to the park! Man, oh man – was mom mad! But truth be told – it was so fun, it was worth it!

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Slip-Slidin’ Away!

My grandson Otto on the cement slide in Berkeley, CA

Ahh…spring! Even the most devoted fan of winter must smile as daffodils bloom and spring rolls around! My grandson, Otto was out enjoying a cherished Berkeley tradition – the cement slide at Codornices Park in the City of Berkeley, CA, connected by tunnel to the Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden. I think every kid who grew up in the area has memories of the Rose Garden and the “scary” tunnel under Euclid that connects to the park via the ‘infamous’ cement slide! It made my heart smile to see the look on his face, even though he lost his cardboard at the top! So what if his pants rip? It is just too much fun!

The Berkeley Rose Garden is beautiful – set in a natural amphitheater, facing the bay. It is a bit too early right now, but come May, the roses bloom and inspire kisses and weddings – both have been in great abundance over the years. Connected to the Rose Garden is Codornices Park – of course you can walk across the street, but it is much more fun to go through the tunnel under the road! The park has the normal playground equipment – but the cement slide – now, there is where the fun really starts! Grab a piece of cardboard and SLIDE!!! Fast and fun – and definitely not just for kids – I have some of my own very memorable moments from the slide!

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