VanderVeer Park

Grandma Camp, 2018. It was just a regular Monday. I don't ALWAYS have something fabulous planned.

This was an ordinary summer day. Beautiful -- except for the hot and sunny part. We should do SOMETHING. And, if possible, GO OUTSIDE. Hummm...

I drive by Davenport's Vanderveer Park ALL THE TIME.  Although I haven't been there for 20 or 30 years, I seem to remember they have a children's summer activity going on this summer... 

Hey -- the BEAUTY of  kids who are 5 and 9 years old is that WHATEVER I TELL THEM...they are DELIGHTED.

And -- HOLY COW -- this park is stunning..I was blown away by this beautiful, mature, manicured, well-maintained park.  It is magnificent.  WHY HAVE I BEEN MISSING THIS FOR ALL THESE YEARS??

We walked through the beautiful Rose Garden -- then, sat on the edge of the large, beautiful fountain...

We discovered many Pirate Items around the park -- as well as some permanent sculptures that were good photo-ops.

I was struck by how similar Vanderveer is to another favorite park of mine -- New York City's Central Park.

Curious -- I went to the internet -- and learned this:

"In 1885 the city of Davenport acquired the property that had been the Scott County Fairgrounds. It is a significant example of landscape planning, and of the civic improvements that were being made by the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Five years after the land was purchased and improved it was named Central Park after New York City's park of the same name.  Like its namesake it featured naturalistic landscaping, a glasshouse, floral gardens, a large pond, picnic pavilion and a picturesque bridge. Central Park was the first major park established by the City of Davenport. The year that it opened the city established the Board of Parks Commissioners. They acquired other properties and established residential parks similar to Central Park.

In 1911, Davenport's Central Park was renamed Vanderveer Park to honor an early Davenport Park Commissioner."

The kids walked around the huge pond

There were SWARMS of tadpoles

For 25cents, you get a handful of corn to feed the ducks...

And there are ALWAYS DUCKS in this pond.

Feeding the ducks has been a child's entertainment for over 100 years...

There are beautiful mature trees.

And dozens of benches, which families can pay for, as a remembrance of a loved one...

We read some of the plaques -- and sat on a few of the benches.  It's amazing how, on a very hot day, the SHADE of a mature tree is a cool, welcome respite.  You almost forget that in this day and age of AIR CONDITIONING...

The kids loved following this colorful brick road -- which led to...

Yes, a modern playground!!  With about five slides (Warren's standard of measure).