...But if
there is a time when New Yorkers take notice of their watery condition,
it’s summer. And I find kids especially attuned to any hint of water,
from ocean to fountain to puddle. My last Parks Series entry
focused more on the destructive capacity of the water around us, but
one of the many great things about kids is that they don’t see that.
They see puddles to jump in, waves crashing into them, sparkly
reflectors of golden sunshine and azure sky.
Every single one of my trips to parks last summer with Stringbean
involved water. It was a prerequisite, and she took great pains at the
beginning of each adventure to pack her swimsuit, apply her sunscreen,
and find out in advance not which parks we were visiting but what water
would be involved. And being an adult with a remarkable capacity for
sapping the mystique and fun out of these spontaneous encounters with my
children and my child-self, I’ve spent some time codifying and
categorizing these experiences. Once a month this summer, I’d like to
present to you my findings. For my June post, I’ll tell you about one of
my favorite categories of water-mongering: ferry-riding.
