Wow!! I hadn't realized how many pictures of Quinn I had gotten. I posted the very few of Max when he and I went to this same park and as I look at all these pictures of Quinn I'm wondering, "What...!?!"
All I can think is that when I was with Max, I was shooting more things around the area plus, he and I didn't spend as much time there. His style of play was different.
And, bottom line, I think I gravitate to little girls more than little boys. Plus she's a bit older. Four's not a good age for this Old Man. Six is stretching it but a bit better. But, gosh, I am wondering at the difference. But it sorta makes sense...I do like to interact with the older kids and I do favor the girls.
Hmmmmmmmm....
Regardless, here's my adventure for this Chapter.
Quinn's Big Day with Ol' Grumpy.
And, of course, it's never cool walk with your Grandfather. NEVER!!
And so, aside from the times my voice got squeaky high about holding hands as we crossed the street, Quinnita did her best at disassociating herself from me while we were walking up to the park.
Well played, Quinine.
Hahahaha, once across the street she picked up her "Scouts Out!!" position and ensured I would not be hit by a surprise attack.
Hola! ¿Puedes escucharme?
Ah, and she's not even a teenager yet.
King of the world, Ma!! Quinn accepted the challenge of climbing Mt. Tank and met it head on. No hesitation, no missteps. Straight to the top.
You'll see more on this tank later on in this Quinn-only screed. For now we'll satisfy our needs with this brief glimpse of Q2 (Queen Quinn) and her tank.
A little background on the tank.
In 1947, at the request of the VFW, an Army tank was placed in the park as a memorial to those who had served in the two world wars. The 16-ton M5 Stuart light tank was brought to Redwood City aboard a San Mateo County Fire Department truck and trailer. It was presented to the city by the American Legion as a war monument.
There were several models of the light tank made by the Cadillac Division of General Motors, and the M5 was armed with a 37mm cannon as well as two machine guns. It was powered by twin 16-cylinder engines and could hit 36 miles per hour. Of course there were some Hot Dogs who swore they could get it to go over 45 miles per hour.
The M5 was outgunned in Europe but was used extensively against the Japanese. According to the American Armored Foundation, the M5 tank is now quite rare, with only a dozen still existing.
We often fail to realize that these massive 'monuments' were once weapons of war capable of delivering death and destruction. I know for me the import of this tank as a weapon of war was small. I marveled at its small size and puny armament. The arrogance of one who has watched the M60 and the M1 Abrams in action.
Here's a M5 in Europe ... advancing.
Another at war with the Australians in Buna. They were better situated for warfare in the East with their smaller bodies, reliable engines and fast speeds, they proved extremely valuable in the jungle.
Ready for war. It was not a relic...it was an important component in the Allied war effort.
But, quick as a rabbit, she moved across the park to the playground. From all out war to the vagaries of the modern version of teeter-totters, slides and merry-go-rounds
And this...thing. It's a bed!! It's a swing!! It's a hammock!!
It's something and Quinton seems to enjoy it.
'Nuff said.
It's neat being able to stand back a distance and be able to reach out for a close-up and then slide back for a wider angle. Which is what I did. Hahahaha, I bought all the tools so I might was well use them.
The exuberance of a soon-to-be six year old.
This way, that way and all ways in-between.
She even found some time for one of the old stand-bys, a swing.
With a well-executed dismount.
Well done, Queenie!
The girl was a ball of energy which, fortunately, worked out well for me. I prefer to stand on the sidelines now and observe the fun. I've no desire to get on the field of play anymore.
None at all.
But this one was all over the field. Nothing was sacred and I think she touched, however briefly, every piece of playground equipment available.
zoom, zoom, ZOOM!!
For me, I was having a lot of fun just sitting back, watching and, occasionally getting the random picture.
Ah, love me these new digital cameras. The ability to shoot until the blasted cows come home is, honestly, a gift from heaven.
BAM!!
Look at that color!!
And I took a small break to look around the area and saw this cute little fluffy-tailed rat.
I pushed the camera out as far as I could to get this portrait. In the next picture you can see how far away I was.
Hahahaha, yeah. Find him if you can. He's out there, near the sidewalk going left to right.
Honest!! He's there but I zoomed out to get that intimate portrait.
What a camera!!
But let's get back to Quinnola. She's the reason I'm here.
And she's still moving around the AO.
And she's made a friend. See Enrico? He's just behind her to the left. He saw a playmate and simply persisted until they were able to get comfortable enough with each other.
Quinnorama wasn't idle. No, she quickly decided it was time to go back to war and off to the Stuart she went.
And Enrico following along, closely behind her.
The funniest part was when Q asked me to climb up with her. Hahahaha. No thanks.
I got no idea what Enrico was up to there but Quinnie was obviously working it.
ZAP!!
Faster than one of my characteristic segues, Quinnster was back over in the playground.
No grass grows under this kid's feet.
But all this activity can tire a girl out and so here comes the hammock swing...with a little assist from Ol' Grumps.
Ahhhhhhh, contentment.
Seriously, that is contentment. You can see her batteries recharging.
And off she goes!!
Wait!! No!! That was a ruse!!
She's back on for some daredevil riding.
And by now I am getting tired just watching.
The kid's a dynamo.
Oh, by the way, Enrico's father meandered over and collected him up over at the tank. He was gone.
Here, there and everywhere...
And a moment for quiet reflection.
Can I get away with this kid's Donald Duck?
Hmmmmm, probably not with that Ol' Fart over there taking pictures left and right.
So she put it back and was off again.
And I got to see the Phoebe, again.
Coolio!!
We were done with the park and the tank. Oh, and you should thank me, again. There were several hundred pictures taken here but less than 40 shown.
You're welcome.
And, right after I had knocked my camera off the shelf onto the table, I got this picture.
Ahem, Love the self-timer feature.
Play Park to McDonald's ... I'm seeing a trend here.
And this. It's come to this.
Kids today don't realize the gifts they've been given. All the suffering, work, toil, pain that has gone into creating this world that allows them the luxury of ordering their fast food delivered to their home.
O. M. Gosh
Ah, modern life. We have a people so comfortable because of the hard labor of those who came before and they're complaining more than ever about how unfair life is.
But for me, I got to be a Grandpa. I got to get into the mix when I wanted and was able to stand to the side when I choose.
Hahahaha, the best of both worlds.
And I got lunch with Max one day and then on another, I got lunch with this Lulu!!
Life is good!!
Hooah!!
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