Finch Hill Park

Located at Finch Hill and Langton Pl.

Finch Hill Park is a little silly, if you ask me.

The grass is thick and green. The gardens are wild, yet contained. The masonry is in tip top shape. I mean, it's a convenient set of stairs that cuts a corner and probably saves a few people a lot of time, but does it really need to be this nice?

Then there's this thing, complete with Nina's "But why?" pose. I've always been very confused by these sorts of structures. They do nothing to block the rain or sun. According to Nina, they're supposed to be covered in climbing plants that will eventually block out the sun. While there was some wisteria in the corner, it didn't seem too likely that it would grow to that point. We're not in the tropics.

But we shouldn't laugh at this thing too much, because it is a memorial. The plaque reads:

In loving memory of our friend

Taylor Steyn

"Tay-Bay-Bay"

February 18th 1991 - ∞

---

 You will be forever in our hearts

and you will always be 

our sunshine on a cloudy day. 

 Does it make me a terrible person to find this hilarious? It's actually very sweet, but have you ever seen a memorial use a nickname like that? I sure haven't.

Anyways, Finch Hill Park isn't entirely useless. It's got a sort-of-decent view of the city, but it's really just a pleasant place to check the mail. I never got a picture of the mailboxes, but I'm pretty sure that they're the only reason this park exists. 

PPR

Good: well-maintained, corner cut, mailboxes

Bad: silly structure, iffy view

5/10

Normanby Park

Located on Pinecrest Dr.

In an area like the British Properties where most parts of it are not designed for kids, a place like Normanby Park is a breath of fresh air.

When I saw this park on the map, I assumed that the promised playground equipment would be super lame. I'd been to a playground in the British Properties before in a park that was much bigger than Normanby Park, and that playground was just three dinky little structures. My jaw dropped when I came around the corner and saw this:

There's slides, monkey bars, a flying fox, and a bunny to ride. If you think bunnies are stupid, then there's another choice of animal to ride that I didn't get a picture of. I believe it might have been a whale. And can we talk about the colours? These aren't the normal bright primary colours that we're used to seeing on playgrounds. These ones are a little more subdued and very pretty.

Most importantly, just look at this flower swing:

Isn't it precious?

The other half of this park is occupied by tennis courts.

There's two of them cut out of the steep slope of the land. There's also a list of rules on the gate that make it seem like there have been issues with sharing the courts in the past, such as "If there are players waiting, please limit your game to 30 minutes." Nina and I have seen a lot of tennis courts in our travels, but we've only ever seen tennis players once or twice. We were just having a conversation pondering the question, "what time do the tennis players show up?" when two groups of players entered the park. Tennis players show up at 6:35pm. I'd recommend that players show up to Normanby Park at 6:30 to beat the after dinner rush.

PPR
Good: amazing playground, tennis courts, well-maintained, located where it's needed
Bad: steep hill, only one swing in the playground, not enough tennis courts (what?!)
8/10

Douglas Woodward Park

Main entrance at Camelot Rd and Camwell Dr.

Douglas Woodward Park has a special place in my heart. I once lived in the neighborhood, and one of my little brothers is named Douglas. My Mom used to tell us stories about a friendly sasquatch-esque creature named "Buh buh buh" who lived in the trees at this park. Happy mother's day, mom! Those stories were the best.

As soon as I got into the park, I started using the word 'play'. Although I still enjoy parks at my age, the words I'd normally use to describe what Nina and I do in them is more along the lines of 'hang out' or 'chill' (because we are, in fact, dirty teenagers). But Douglas Woodward Park's chaotic terrain and network of trails made it the perfect place for games of predator versus prey and capture the flag that I enjoyed as a younger version of myself. The trees immediately brought back those memories and the desire to 'play'.

In among those trees, Nina found herself her own brontosaurus tree to ride (for more brontosaurus trees, see the Sharon Park post):

We weren't actually there in the middle of the night. My camera just doesn't understand the lovely concept that is light filtered through trees.

During our stay in the park, we spent some time sitting on one of the many bridges, watching the creek. While wearing my flannel shirt, I looked up at a maple tree above the bridge and thought "damn... I am so Canadian". While other people might think of the inside of a hockey arena or a snowy ski hill when they're asked to picture Canada, the image that I come up with is from the inside of Douglas Woodward Park.

One of my favorite things in the park is this:

I'm not sure what it is, but it's a metal tube that's big enough to stand up in. I always imagined that this was where Buh buh buh and his family lived. See if you can find it!

PPR
Good: a lot of trails, trees to climb, tons of space
Bad: no views, easy to trip on roots
7.5/10

Westhill Park

On Westhill Dr.

Westhill Park is a familiar one to me. My family used to drive by it every day on our way to school. It's basically a field on a slope. Nothing special. It might be fun to go for roll down, though. Just make sure you stop before you reach the road.

But there's a bench at the top of the hill, right in front of one of the four trees in the park. When I find a particularly well-placed bench, I like to thank whoever it's dedicated to. This bench doesn't have a dedication, but I certainly looked for someone to thank. Here is the view from that bench:

It's similar to the view from Chairlift Park, but much more accessible. We even saw a bus go by while we were there! It's the type of view that I'd be content to watch for hours.

Can we take a moment to observe how very much in love RN and JD are?

Also, there were literally five water bottles within lazy toss distance of this bench. Perhaps a garbage can would be a good idea (I'd say recycling bin, but that's a little ridiculous).

PPR
Good: view, hill for rolling, well-placed bench
Bad: boring, litter, too close to a road where people drive too fast
4/10