It is 1:3om pm on a Sunday and Elisa hasn’t napped yet so I ask her if she wants to go to “the big playground”. She says yes and after the routine of asking he if she needs to pee and putting on her fake crocs we are out the door.

By the time the elevator reaches the first floor Elisa’s eyes are closed and by the time we reach the street she is out. I walk her over to Lido Park and find a shading tree where I listen to podcasts, do some stretching,  and watch her nap. After a little more than and hour she wakes up and wants to continue our trek to the big playground which is just down the road at Side Park. We get there and she plays on the jumpy jump, the slides, the swings, the climbing stuff. After not so long she wants to leave so we head out to explore the rest of the park. We stop at a kids amusement park monkey as a horse type ride and she goes round and round. Then we are off to the metal exercise equipment which she climbs and explores. I ask her if she wants to go home and she says “no” and we explore more of the park. We stop at the pond where people are fishing and talk with a little boy practicing his English. We wander up the hills, run down them, and hunt for flowers. Eventfully she’s ready to leave Side but not for home, she wants to stop and explore Lido Park.

Lido Park is less crowded, smaller, and with a bit wilder areas. Elisa takes off her shoes and runs up a dirt trail and then down. Across the grass and then wants to take a small foot bridge to the middle of a little pond, which we do. More exploring as we make our way to the south gate of the park and then we stop at a little coffee shop specializing on western style deserts. Elisa wants the blueberry cheesecake because it looks pretty. We sit on the deck as she takes one bite and is then off to check out the scene. I don’t mind finishing the cheesecake.

We then start to make our way home but stop to climb up and then down a pedestrian overpass. We then sit on the steps outside of QuickStop; me drinking a diet coke to balance the cheesecake and Elisa having an ice cream cone because she knows no balance.

We finally make it home, five hours after we headed out. Content. Content enough to do it again the next day.