Summer of Lust

Seems that with the warmer weather come the inescapable pangs of longing.

Coveting.

Oh-my-god-I-must-have-it'ing.

Last year we explored a pool. Our girls love the water, a boat seemed too expensive and too logistically challenging, a pool on the other hand, while requiring maintenance and vigilance, would not require dock space, gas, insurance, one of those steel ball thing-a-majiggers on the back of the car and, since I did not grow up around boats, strikes a kind of fear in my heart of spontaneous exploding that I have never suffered with a pool.

Well, as once upon a time we pissed off our mayor and we have certain nosy neighbors, it seemed inevitable that we would get caught in some sort of tangle of small town zoning hell. Sure enough, the part of the yard we would have selected for the pool is in fact our "front yard," though we use the door on the other street, our mailbox is situated on the other street and we are invited to the block party of...the other street. Laws here state that you may not have a pool in your front yard. (Despite the shit some people have in their front yards)And our back yard? No, just no, no, no.

We spent last summer ferrying the girls to the lake, the access to which can only be gained (by the unmonied folk like us) via a three mile hike through brambles and bushes, over boulders and crevasses...ok, perhaps I exaggerate, but toting two toddlers can make a moss blanketed path seem like a wild jungle gauntlet. We also trekked to points along the Hudson, but they were even more remote and favored by the hard drinking, nature wrecking kind of folks you don't particularly want to be around, especially with no witnesses for miles and miles.

We are trying to be proactive this summer, thinking about what will best suit our family, and doing what we can in advance of Mother Nature so that we are prepared. Three kids under four, a small business to run, insane gas prices and a desire to make the sweetest memories we can...any ideas? Well, as much as Avery loves getting into the car and pretending to drive places, we thought we could do a bit better.

So...we're shopping swing sets, well, actually we are shopping "play systems." The way we see it we have another 5 solid years of playground time. Sometimes the park is great, but other times you want the luxury of a bathroom, kitchen and a safe, moderately private time out area. The plan is to fence in the "front yard" and install a play structure- swings, slide and sandbox. We have neither the yard, nor the budget for the $20,000 systems that make me gasp, I like my playtime with a side of imagination and change (is that the singin' truck?), thank you very much. And, I think I found the winner today. I give you the 3 daughter wonderland contenders:

Option A:

No longer available.


Option B:


Option F:



Care to vote?