Touring Poway - Sunday, June 3

The amazing thing about touring away from your home territory is that you see things that you wouldn't ordinarily see at home, even if those things exist right in front of your nose.

Lauren and I were watching a Rick Steves PBS travelogue last night and noting that the central plazas in Europe have been very enjoyable places for us to visit. What wonderful places! People congregate, enjoy the outdoors, and mix - or not. Language isn't necessary there. But as Rick Steves said, these plazas are quintessentially European. We agree.

Where do American's congregate? Surely we have no less a need to get out and enjoy relaxation time with others, others who may or may not be like us. Where do we go?

I thought about this off and on during church this morning (the semon was on the Trinity - yes, I listened, at least from one ear, and I paid particular attention to the Athenasian Creed, an intriguing affirmation of faith that one can understand only one phrase at a time, completely losing the previous phrase in the mental parsing of the next - perhaps that's also the character of the Trinity), so after church, I thought I would drive around Poway, put on my tourist glasses, and see what my town looks like.

So at 10:00 in the morning, I drove to the Community Center to see what was going on. That seemed to be a likely place to congregate. Someone was doing some picking up around the community pool, but it seemed it was too early for it to open. There were a few people playing tennis there, a softball or soccer (I didn't pay enough attention) game beginning in another field, and a few families setting up for a picnic in one of the picnic areas. Not much congregating going on yet, but some quiet signs of life.

Then I drove through Creekside, our little movie and restaurant complex, thinking I might find a group sitting outside Starbucks, but I was disappointed. Maybe Sunday morning isn't Starbucks time, or maybe I was just too early.

Knowing that people must be out somewhere, I drove up to our Old Town park, and there, I saw activity.

There was a Boy Scout (or Cub Scout) picnic going on, and there were lots of little boys in their little uniforms, along with their parents, congregating around several picnic tables. (I was thinking that those little boys would have a lot more fun if they didn't have to wear their uniforms, but maybe this was an award picnic of some kind.)

Another family was setting up for a birthday party.

I took a few pictures this morning. Maybe I'll do this on other weekend mornings, too, and develop a collection. (To see more detail in the pictures below, click the picture. It should open an enlarged version for you to inspect.)

At the Old Town park, we have a working train. There's a club that maintains this train, and some were gathered this morning. There's a stream that runs through the park. I'm sure it has a name - maybe it's Rattlesnake Creek (I need to find out!). This time of year, it's green, and there's only a little water. There are a couple people walking along the edges. Hope there aren't any rattlesnakes - this is definitely the time of year that they're out and about!
Looking across the railroad tracks in the foreground, we can see the beginning of crowds for the day. The birthday family is nearest to us, and then the background shows the Scout troop picnic.

How many parks does Poway have? When I stop to think about it, I know there are many. Each neighborhood seems to have a park associated with it. Our own park is Garden Road. And there are several more public type parks, like the Old Town Park. On the road running parallel to the west of the road where Old Town Park is, closer to Poway Road, there's Hillary Park. Just north of Old Town Park, just across the road, there are public soccer fields. Poway Lake, of course, is one of the biggest public parks in Poway. I think our hiking trails, in places like Goodan Ranch and the Blue Sky Preserve also qualify as park-like places, although they encourage small group congregations rather than the large group "city plaza" type of experience.

Our larger public parks, like Old Town Park and Poway Lake, offer concerts throughout the year, especially in the summer. They are free, and they make for a very enjoyable Saturday or Sunday afternoon or evening.

We really love the European city plaza experience. It's definitely not the small crowd that I was hoping to see at Starbucks this morning. Maybe the closest we come is our public parks, where people come to picnic, play games, sit and reflect, experience a concert, or, like me this morning, take pictures.