Berry: Playgrounds sure have changed

The best thing about having the grandkids over is a trip to the park to play. It was neat to watch the kids play on the swings and climb up into the lookout play area of the park.

I have to admit, though, I kept looking around for the rest of the play equipment. There were no teeter- totters, no big metal slides and no merry-go-round.

Lonnie Berry

I think everyone needs to know what it feels like to climb a big metal slide on a hot sunny day, and slide down. They also need to know what happens if you are at the top of the teeter tooter and the other person jumps off.

My all-time favorite was the merry-go-round. I remember days of standing in the middle of the big dish and hanging on for dear life. My friends would be circled around and spinning it as fast as they could. The usual outcome was I would lose my grip and go flying off. The good part is we never flew more than 15 or 20 feet, and we usually landed rolling. At that point it was time for the next person to get on and try his luck.

I wouldn't mind taking another turn at that.

Lonnie is waiting in line for the next ride. You can contact him at

[email protected]