Freshmeadow Park

This park is a really busy place today. There were many people playing and watching soccer. There were merchants selling all kinds of refreshments. I think one was even selling pork rinds. Didn't really notice too much about the park because of all the activity. Just jumped out and took photo.

Haden Park

I found a quarter on the ground in this park!!! It was in the playground area. The parks has some picnic tables and a .3 mile walking trail. It has some very tall pine trees. Unfortunately the park is a hang out for quite alot of men. They were sitting under the trees. I didn't see them drinking. I think they could have been day laborers waiting for a job.

Hegwig Park

The park is small and tucked beneath many tall pine trees. I don't think there is any part of this park that isn't in the shade. It gives the park a very woodsy feel. Many of the toys are for young children. Also found out that Hedwig is a woman's first name.

Westchase Park

This is the fourth park of the day we set out to find. One was missing I guess gone. I have an old map. Another was under construction. This one was adjacent to Sneed elementary school. It looks like it is also used as a school playground if you look at the times it is open (pen). We visited on a Sunday.

Noticed that one of the cars parked along the street had been burglarized. While I was taking photo the owner came out and discovered his broken window.

Harwin Park

Something really stinks in the garbage can.

We were the only people at the park despite all the cars in the parking lot. Looks like this is overflow parking for the church across the street.

The park has a small play area with some toys. There is one riding toy that is a duckhead. It is kinda weird cuz to play on it the rider sits on the face/bill.

The park also has a walking trail. The city is naturally landscaping around the path. In time this will make a very scenic place to walk.

Carverdale

The second park of the morning. This one has no place to park. If you drive off the paved road you will probably need a tow truck to get you back on the road. Not much here either. There is a futuristic fenced backstop. Kinda neat looking. But how much fun is a backstop. We didn't walk around here either. We were afraid to park. Dicided to drive on to a third park. Fresh Meadows. We didn't even stop there. We saw quite a few young people that looked to be partying. And I don't mean a Sponge Bob pinata party. Just didn't seem like a good time to stop even for just a photo of the sign.

Independence

This park has a covered basketball court, a playground area, bathrooms and a large open area. Today many adults were playing soccer. We didn't walk around the park because of all the people playing soccer. The park seems forgotten. Across the street is a vacant building with quite alot of graffiti.

Boone Road

It looked like it was gonna rain. We got here at the same time the ole city Honey dipper truck was working. The park has some playground toys and a covered picnic/gazebo. The tables were occupied with several people sleeping. Must have a late check out time cuz they were still in their sleeping bags. We walked the one mile trail. There were several people running. This park has a very large area. It has the potential to be a very nice place. It is also very close to the Hong Kong market. Another really fun destination.

Zube Park

One day a month they have free train rides in the park. We went to ride the trains. It was very hot. There were many people waiting to ride. Lots of children. (Lance and Miles were most annoying.) Where is Super Nanny when you need her. Be Good, Be Good

Also a group of bike riders were loading up to leave as we sat under a shady picnic table on the play area on the other side of the park.

Alief Amity Park

Decided to go to park early in the morning. The grass was still wet with dew. The park has a very cute gazebo. It appears to be a pre-fabricated type. It is made of metal instead of the wooden ones in the other parks. This park has lots of picnic tables and a number of them are covered. There are several horseshoe pitching courts, a covered basketball court, and a very small playground with two swings and a slide. It would be nicer if it had a walking path. My shoes/toes got wet from the dew as I walked across the grass.

Memorial park

We walked around the Seymore something exer- trail. I think it is 3 miles in length. I was looking for a sign to photograph. I found several with the golf course and even one for a croquet course. There were even people playing croquet. It was a very warm and muggy day. Thankfully it didn't rain on us. It did rain quite alot later. I brought my new camera in hopes of using it. Didn't get much of a chance. This picture was taken with old trusty.

WC in Uppsala next to cathedral

This is a good place to go in Uppsala. Stopped off there after I went through the cathedral.

Snöberget Naturreservat

Walked down to this area from Astrid's summer home in Niemisel. Someone had left a stick behind the outhouse so I decided to use it to walk along the trail. I didn't get too far down the path until every mosquito in the country swarmed me. I decided I really didn't need to see what was further down the way and turned back.

Artic Circle

On the way to Jokkmokk crossed the artic circle. Saw about 10 reindeer walking on the road. I bought a firestarter that was made with a reindeer antler. It really works. I found some flint on the ground outside my door right here in Houston. pretty cool!

Gammelstad Kyrkstad Luleå

Gammelstad Kyrkstad is a church town. It is a town that people only lived in for Sunday services or other religious days. There are hundreds of tiny houses.

Royal Palace Sweden

Went to Stockholm to see the old city. Saw the changing of the guards. I bought some souvenirs and ate lunch at an Italian restaurant. They had the thinnest pizza I've ever seen.

Cullinan Park

Cullinan Parks has a series of boardwalk, pier and tower that allows visitor to view nature and wildlife. John and I saw an Anhinga. It looked like it was injured at first. It was standing with its wings outspread. Later it was on the water I thought it looked like Loch Ness monster with only its head and neck above water.
There are also miles of trails and paths winding thru the park. We have wandered back there when we were geocaching. There is a covered area with several tables.

Moody Park

John had weekend off so we went adventuring. Stopped off at Moody Park. According to John many things have been improved. The pool was absolutely nasty. I don't see how they can possibly have it ready for kids to swim when school gets out in a week. The park has a very nice walking trail and play areas. One of the nicest areas is a row of huge trees. It was so shady and had a very nice breeze. The city really should put in more benches to allow folks to enjoy it. One thing I noticed most people in the park were men. As we were leaving some families began to arrive. John says it has been a place for homeless and drunks. Really large statue of a Vaquero is also in the park. It has been painted different colors. It looks a little creepy to me. Guess you get used to a bronze or marble sculpture and something different really stands out.

Cullen Park

You can't really see the name on the sign. Someone needs to touch up the paint. This is a favorite park. It has miles of trails. It even connects up to Bear Creek.

Today we saw a snake. Not sure what type. It was not a rattlesnake.

Everything was wet because of the rain yesterday. There was a picnic for a car dealership. They had set up tents and a moon walk. We watched a man fly some large remote controlled airplanes.

There are some playground areas and picnic sites. Across the street is a water park, soccer fields, baseball, and a velodrome for bike racing. John and I actually rode on the track with our bikes. They had an open house one time when we were over there. One of the volunteers allowed us to ride on the track if we wanted. Some evening we need to go out and watch the bike races.

Candlelight Park

The last of the three parks for Easter. This one was also quite crowded. I used to play here as a child when I visited my aunt. I remember it had a rocket that you could climb up and slide down. No rocket remains today though. Nice walking trail and the typical playground toys. There is also a community center where if I wanted it appears I could learn to dance hip hop.

Jaycee Park

This was a park that John would visit many years ago. It was quite busy today. Not alot of thing at the park. It has some picnic tables and a couple of baseball diamonds. We didn't stay here either. Just a quick picture and off on our way to the next location.

W. 11th Street Park

We were just driving by and spotted this wooded park. There are several benches and a place with wild flowers growing. It doesn't have a good place to park. I just took this photo while John kept the car running.
July 29, 2006 Found an Audubon website about this park. It tells about the trails and wildlife in the park. Guess we need to go back and wander around on the trails.

Lost Creek Park

We walked from Oyster Creek park over to Lost Creek park. They were mowing the soccer fields. The smell of cut grass is like perfume to John. There is a playground area with toys that are good for small children.

Oyster Creek Park

Beautiful park locted in Fort Bend county and Sugar Land. It has a very picturesque fountain, waterfall and pond area. There are many walking trails along the creek. We even saw a big ole alligator in the creek.

Francklow Park

Park is located near Briar Forest and Toll road. There is a half mile walking trail surounded a heavily forested park. Tucked away inside the park are benches and a gazebo. If you didn't hear the sounds of traffic you might imagine you were out in a forest somewhere.

Jesse H. Jones

Jones Park is a large park with many different attractions. They have canoeing and fishing. A pioneer and Indian village are also in the park. I really liked the boardwalk area thru the Cypress swamp. Today the cardinals were all over. We must have seen about 20. The nature center had a neat stamps to identify animal tracks.

Waldemar Park

A small park located between Wilcrest and Kirkwood and Westheimer and Briar Forest. I t only has one toy on the playground but it is a uniquely shaped climbing structure. It almost looks like modern art sculpture. A multicolored sidewalk adds to the artistic feel of the park. A gazebo and walking path around the edge of the park are other features. We thought that the city may be in the process of working on park. We will have to check back on the park. It is on the way to Half Price Books.

Agnes Moffitt

Stopped off at Agnes Moffitt park. We used to call it elephant park because there was a small elephant sculpture on the playground. But it is no longer there so the name doesn't work anymore. Today the park was full of disc golf guys. Plus plenty of pooches. Didn't see any dogs catching frisbees but who knows?

Arthur Storey Park

This park is on the west side off the Sam Houston Tollroad. It has a large playground area with toys for children. You can also walk a very long way on the paths and even further if you go down and walk along the Brays bayou. I really love the benches and tables. They are made from cement but look like old wooden benches. A cool detail that is fun. There is also a Tai chi workout area.

Sylvan Park

This is the second park we went to of the day. We drove through the Washburn tunnel and eventually wound up in La Porte. The park is right on Galveston Bay. We saw some large ships in the distance. Over at the boat ramp area there were a number of pelicans just sitting on some posts. The playground area was one of the largest ones I've seen at a park. All the playground equipment were blue and white. I liked the way it blended with the beach colors. The park also has a skate area. There were many kids out with skateboards. Didn't see any of them wipe out. The other main attraction to the park is the fishing pier. You have to pay four dollars to use the pier that includes just walking out. Tickets are purchased at the bait stand. We didn't want to spend eight bucks just to walk out the end of a pier. Right before we left we watched a guy launch a kayak. He had it loaded with fishing equipment etc. All the canoes/kayaks we've seen in the past few weeks makes us want to try this ourselves.

Northshore Park

We stopped off at this park first. We walked around the walking/jogging path at the front of the park. There is a very nice excercise area. They even show exercises that can be used by people in wheelchair. This was the first time I had noticed this. At the back of the park are a couple of baseball diamonds. In the middle is a very nice playground area with the usual types of toys. There is a wide slide allows for three children to slide at a time.

Lamar Park

This was another park we found while looking for the post office. We must have driven around this little park five times. It is just a nicely planted median with some benches. There is a decorative fountain across the street in the middle of an intersection that is also interesting. I'm not sure it is part of the park or not.

09/28/06 According to HPB websiteLamar park was named for Mirabeau B Lamar, 2nd president of the Republic of Texas. This was his former homestead. The fountain is the oldest in in the city

Peggy Park

We were out roaming the city. We were trying to find a post office. As luck would have it Peggy Park was right across the street from the post office. Didn't really look around the park. Just noticed the sidewalks had neat mosaics set in the concrete every so often.

Spotts Park

We went walking around this park. It is located next to a YWCA. Quite a few people were sliding down the hills around the park. There is a very nice walking/jogging path around edge of park with exercise toys scattered along the paths.

Bendwood Park

Bendwood has a very nice walking path. We walked around it twice. I even found a benchmark. The park has a playground area with wooden climbing toys. There are basketball hoops, baseball diamond, benches, and picnic tables scattered throughout the park.

Clear Lake Park

This park is on two sides of Nasa Road 1. We went to both sides. The south side I found more interesting. The pavilion looked to be inspired by the Alamo or at least the Spanish Missions. There is a nice pier and several large playground areas. We walked over to the boat launch and saw several boats using the launches. We watched and hoped to see someone drive their car into the water too far or some other catastrophe. Unfortunately neither happened. At the far end there was an area with wave runners. Apparently you can rent boats. It wasn't open today. Could be closed in the winter or maybe because it is Christmas eve? I think it would be fun to come back in the summer and check this out.

Bay Area Park

This is a little park located next to Armand Bayou. It has a nice playground area. There is a nice boardwalk. The boards appear to be recycled tires. We ate a blueberry breakfast danish while sitting out on the platform. I liked the little gazebos they had all over the park. There was one canoe being launched while we were there.

Christia V. Adair Park

We didn't spend much time in this park. All we did was walk over to the sign from the restroom parking area. We haven't spent much time at this park. We usually go to Tom Bass Park. It is located across the street.

Beeler Memorial Pocket park

A little park on the west side of Houston near Eldridge and Briar Forest. It has a small family cemetery with about 10 graves. There is also a very short trail. Looks like maybe a business will be built on the adjoining lot. We also noticed that the private security folks hangout smoking stinky cigars in the parking lot.

Paul D. Rushing Park

This is the first park we stopped at today. It is a large park with a nice playground and gazebo. There are several Baseball fields. There were many cars and tents set up at the far end of the parking area. We wondered what was happening and the a rocket was launched. We stayed and watched two more rockets. One was quite tall. It was probably 5 ft tall.
We walked around in some of the open field areas looking at the fairy rings. It appears there are plans to "build" other things at this park. Should be interesting to check back and see what develops out here.

Saums Park

This is a hard park to find. It is just some swings, a slide, and the sign. After we found it we were able to spot it from Franz as we were driving by. Not a lot here. The neighborhood park has mor toys for the kids to play on and is about a block south of this little park.

Four Seasons

Stopped off at three different parks today. This park only has baseball fields. Lots of cars in the parking lot. We didn't get out and walk around. Wanted to get home in time to watch game 4 of the Astros vs Cardinals.

Challenger 7 Memorial Park

We arrived at park early on Sunday. Looked like several groups meet there for church. We walked around on the paved pathways. There were some spots with mud and water so we stayed away from the trails. Communed with the mother earth sculpture, found one geocache site, and saw several deer.

Flag Tree Park

This was another park that was difficult to get the photo. We drove around a while before we spotted it. We parked on a side street. I had to jump a mud puddle and walk across the street just to get to the park. There are a couple of benches and just like the name implies a flag.

Carol Tree Park

We had to park on a side street and I walked back to the corner to get this photo. It is a small little space with a couple of benches. It also has a "decomposing" granite path.

Sports Park

The last park we visited today was the Sports Park. It is west of Hershey park. There are five beach volleyball court, basketball hoops, and a skate park. I watch some of the skate boarders jumping (and falling). There are several picnic tables, benches, and a gazebo. We sat around for awhile. Just as we were leaving some people arrived to play volleyball.

Katy Park

We decided to check out Katy Park after we left Mary Jo Peckham. There are many picnic tables. Today there were some youth baseball teams playing. We passed many soccer fields. No one was playing today. But I can imagine that this park can really be busy when there are games.

Mary Jo Peckham

A swimming pool, exercise room, miniature golf, and fishing pond are some of the many attractions found in this park. We sat in the shade watching several people fish. The largest fish caught was about 4 inches. We also entertained ourselves with bird watching. There were about seven buzzards fighting over a dead fish. I tried to get a photo of one guy riding his bicycle. He had on a pair of yellow shoes, black demin jeans, and patriotic western shirt. I thought it was Lance back from from France but John thought it was a cowboy in search of his horse.
We brought a ice chest with some drinks and laid on a blanket in the shade. I used my new flag picnic blanket. We decided it was a little too small. It was all the fabric that I had. Next time we will bring the others also and a pillow so we can be more comfortable.

Bishop Fiorenza Park

Went to Bishop Fiorenza park. It had just finished raining and it was really muggy. The park was filled with people. There must have been four different birthday parties. Pinatas were hanging from every tree. I guess a question I have is will they change the name of the park to Arch Bishop park?

Bane Park

The last park visited on the weekend was Bane Park. It also has a small lake. It is really more like a pond. The birds (pigeons and grackels) are very friendly. I am guessing someone must feed them often. They came right over to us without even a bit of coaxing. This park also has some nice playground toys. I noticed a nature trail marked on the far side of the pond. I did not go over and check it out. But this is a rather small park so the trail can not be too long.