In Small Packages Trinity park is a city park located on the boarder of Placenta and Berea. My two year old son, Leland, and try to go to the park every Friday to get our daily SSE of vitamin D and to burn off some energy before nap time. The main entrance is marked with a sign with the words “Trinity Park” burned into the wood planks. A fork in the road forces a decision, go left to the playground or right a secluded parking lot; I always turn left. In the center of the park is a big lake, asphalt paths loop around it connecting the small crowded parking lots.
With every visit, am guaranteed to find kids enjoying the well-built outdoor play area, families feeding the ducks and geese, retired men relaxing in the shade with their fishing rods, and a unique and dangerous attribute only mound here. Trinity is a fantastic place to spend the day outdoors without driving too far. My favorite parking lot is the one directly adjacent to the playground. Cars lucky enough to find a space here are ensured a shaded unobstructed view of the play equipment. The ground here is covered in sand allowing the children to jump and dig as much as they please.
Multiple benches are placed encircling the sand pit to allow parents to sit and socialize while supervising their youngsters. The kids smile and giggle as they climb up and down the castle-like structure. A never-ending game of tag will always be laded and the toddler girls are constantly playing house in the shaded underside of the elevated fortress. The swings are rarely available and if they are because they are too hot to be used. The new first time parents can be seen pushing their baby on the bucket seat.
The dad pushing away making sure not to go too hard, while the mom contorts herself in back breaking positions just to take the perfect picture to capture the happiness on the baby’s face. On the opposite side of the parking lot is a steep hill, an asphalted path is there to guide us up and towards the lake. As Leland and off our way up the hill, we are able to overlook over the rest of the park. The park is bowl shaped with the lake at the bottom. Gorgeous white geese and mallard ducks causally paddle their way around the perimeter of the water.
We began to walk down the looped path following the flow of foot traffic. It was as if some unspoken tradition of which direction to walk in was in order, everyone walked the same direction and passed on the left. As we continued to walk we came across a family of four feeding the wildlife. The older boy was trying to teach his younger brother how to accurately throw the bread rumba in order to feed a specific duck. The parents stood close by on the lookout for the evil geese that dominate the park.
These geese are known to bite and chase anyone and anything so people typically move away before they get too close for comfort. A bit further down the road a pair of elderly men sat near the first bridge in red folding chairs. Politics was the topic as they prepared their bait hooks and buckets. The bridges here are made of wood with a sort of manmade rock dam underneath to control the flow of water into the main pool. Ducklings could often be found here enjoying the entitle backslash and tiny puddles made on the rocks. As we rounded the far corner of the lake, we came to another bridge.
This bridge leads to what the locals call “Geese Island”, someone even managed to carve the name into the last plank. As the name implies, the island where the malicious geese prowled. It was positioned perfectly in the center of the three pools of water, the perfect place to see what was happening all around the park. Ducks could never be found here, the big alpha goose chased them away anytime they swam a bit to close. The cemented path cutting across the island is almost invisible underneath the mound Of stool and urine.
The smelly dangerous landmass is unavoidable. Some, especially the ones with smaller children, often turn around once they reach the bridge. If they do cross, it is often at a brisk pace to avoid any goose confrontation. In conclusion, Trinity park is Placenta’s own little nature hideaway. As long as the crazed geese don’t get too close, it is guaranteed it will be an enjoyable and memorable time. Whether it is spent at the perfect sized playground, enjoying the natural motions of the walking path, or just taking advantage of the quiet calm environment.
