Reliving My Youth

Think of something you did as a kid, something you really, really enjoyed doing for hours on end: ride bikes, play with Hot Wheels (or Barbie dolls), etc.

Got it? Good.

Our maybe it was something a little more crazy like, I don’t know, rolling down the gigantic hill at your local park.

Now who in their right mind would do something so incredibly dumb for so long? Who do you think? Hey, it was the ’70s and we didn’t have all these wonderful gadgets yet. That’s my excuse.

Today we had the pleasure of attending a Victorian Christmas event at Banning Park in my hometown of Wilmington, California, the park named for the man who envisioned turning the city into a major port town and succeeded. As a child I spent many a day in said park either playing baseball, riding bikes, or just walking through after playing on the swings or in the playground. While much has changed in the city and the park itself, one thing hasn’t: The Hill.

I had told Anthony stories of me and my friends rolling down it and said that one of these days it would be his turn. Well, that day just happened to be today and not only did he roll on down, I decided I had to join him.

For what it’s worth, here’s the top of the hill:

It sure doesn’t look that threatening but when you’re rolling down at top speed, it can get crazy real quick.

I let Anthony go a few times and by his third attempt he was already too dizzy to go on. He needed a break. I chuckled.

“Amateur,” I told him with a smile. Remember, hours on end, me and my friends, all summer long. It was obvious he had much to learn.

So I had to school him. I went to the top of the hill and, phone in hand, shot a few clips. Note that Ann shot the middle segment of this compilation.

Me, at age 44, rolling down the same hill I used when I was a kid. I tossed and turned down that hill and ended up with a nice dirt stain on the knee of my jeans and grass all over my back but it was worth it. I may have gotten I little more dizzy than I used to when I was a kid but the sheer joy of it all was no doubt still there, even more so with my son doing the same thing. As a kid I would have never imagined such a scenario but here we were, enjoying every second of it.

Aside from me making a fool of myself, it was a gorgeous day to attend the event considering it rained on them yesterday. We had a great time.

I hope Dad was watching. I’m sure he would have joined us in a heartbeat.

See pictures from today on Flickr

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