Liberty Park: Not In the Snow

I kept my promise to myself: I went back to Liberty Park to see what it looked like in summertime.


The only other time I have visited, the place was knee deep in snow.

Now the green house flowers bloom outside, the merry-go-round and Ferris Wheel spin with tunes from early in the last century. Simply enchanting.

A series of water features splash and run down waterways named after the seven river/canyon combinations found in the Salt Lake area. Mill Creek is the name of the canyon closest to my house.

Big Cottonwood, which is the longer of the two Cottonwood Canyons.


Little Cottonwood....


With water cascading down from a fount up high.

The Provo, Red Butte, um...Emigration Canyon creeks and one more race down to a final pond in the shape of the Great Salt Lake.

The play area was a gift from a donor who once played in Liberty Park as a child. I envy both the long ago child and the children who are playing so freely today.

I'll never be a child in Salt Lake City and now I wonder if I will ever remember the names of all seven canyons and streams since I am too old to explore them on this micro scale model.

Children scramble to splash and dip in the cool water on this very hot day.

The green house faces the water features, with clouds that clearly have simply decorative value.

I did mean to visit the green house in winter, when I could have gone inside with a jug of hot tea and a book and spent a quiet spell just enjoying being settled in with the sprouting plants in the glass filtered light.

Now the doors are locked and the house is bare.

The winter seedlings have come to maturity and are residing outside for all to enjoy.

Near the three amusement park rides is a snack bar with all the classic picnic/fun time treats at the ready.

The teenage girl with a wide smile and blue nail polish seemed pleased to work serving food that made people happy.

The Utah Folk Art Museum was opened too.

The old house, now air condition, drew me in for a spell.

What tiny seed beads were stitched to create roses on white leather riding gloves!

Someone else had chosen to spend some of her life's hours winding silken strands around balls to create patterns.

Another knitted a sweater using a traditional Scandinavian pattern.

It was good to see these folk arts still being produced by people who find pleasure in fine craftsmanship.

Other people, with the same number of hours to spend, relax with a friend and a quickly dissolving snow cone creation. Perhaps they create memories instead of crafts: snow cone and checkerboard time is just as special kind of creation for them.

Liberty Park. I visited it during my lunch break on Tuesday, when I was sleepy and bored with my grown up duties at work.

I needed a bit of Summer Time freedom.

It was really, really hard to walk away from the freedom and fun that a handful of people were, without a care, experiencing.

As I left I made another promise to myself: One day, when B. and I no longer have jobs to attended to, we will spend an August weekday afternoon in the shade of a Liberty Park tree, while sucking on snow cones and playing checkers, and maybe even splashing in the water features a bit.