So to celebrate the start of summer I took the boys to Penguin Park in Gladstone. As a child this park was my number-one favorite and every trip there was special. I lived in Gladstone until I was nine, so I have many cherished memories of playing there with my brothers and cousins. We would dare each other to climb the elephant slide (which seemed terrifyingly high at the time) and take turns in the kangaroo slide pretending to be baby joeys by sticking our heads out of her pouch.
The photo on left is an old photo of the park as I remember it in the 1980's that I found on Pinterest. I couldn't find a pic of the elephant before it received its shiny new upgrades. It still looks very high from the ground-making it a fave of my boys. The park also has been upgraded with that awesome rubber flooring which makes me feel like I am alternately bouncing or sinking. I think I want it installed in my house! The park was not too busy when we arrived and the boys listened as best they can and stayed close enough for me to keep tabs thankfully. Forrest was obsessed with the merry-go-round and the bigger kids who were spinning it as fast as possible were kind to him, letting him ride and feel like a big shot. Jackson preferred swinging and climbing. Silas was obsessed with the kangaroo slide-which is unchanged from what I could tell- it still has a slide and stairs inside, with a landing to stand on and stick your head out of her pouch. It still had a slight urine smell too-which I remember being present even as a child!
Here is a picture I took of some of the park's new updates- alongside many of the awesome old features from my childhood- it was fun to relive it through my boys' eyes!
