Carbs and climbing

"I’m basically a starchitarian,” Ian explained to me during a meal at Sahuaro around thirteen years ago. Like most everything he says, I found it adorable and accurate.  Yet, what I see as lovable in my bestie, I deplore in my slow-growing ten-year-old. Thom wishes to eat only bread, pasta, and apples and was ecstatic to find a vending machine for his carb habit at a nearby grocery. Press a button and out pops a baguette, ciabatta, or even a little pizza.  The process was fun and cheap. Thom’s baguettes ranged from $1.99-$3.29 in Princeton, and today’s only set me back €,69. 

​Our treats in hand, the five of us ventured to the neighborhood spielplatz. At the pool last week in Princeton, a friend listed me all the faults of her daughter’s new daycare playground. It needed to be almost completely redone after failing safety inspections. I have a feeling that playgrounds here are judged on a different standard. A gigantic climbing apparatus that seemed to be built out of exercise resistance bands and a wooden structure with a long metal slide were the high points for the kids. Vinnie always gravitates toward activities most likely to break a limb, and she was in heaven.

---