Deep in the heart of Texas

The kids and I are enjoying an extended, post-Thanksgiving stay in Houston. We've been very busy visiting our favorite haunts, including the community swimming pool and the Y swimming pool. It turns out that Texans, though, don't tend to swim outside in December. I guess they think it's winter here, or something. When we got to the Y yesterday, the kiddy pool was being drained -- they don't even bother to heat it, because no one uses it. And since I've never seen the waterslide in use, I finally asked if they ever turned it on: "Yes -- in summer," duh. At the Tuesday night triathlon swim class at the community pool, everyone showed up in wetsuits, complaining so bitterly about the cold that it took me several minutes to get the courage to jump in.
But for us Minnesotans, it's a tropical paradise.
We also revisted Discovery Green, which I love for many reasons, including the commitment to green building materials and energy use (even the ice rink, presumably, is powered by solar energy), the free wifi, and the playground, which is full of innovative designs (slides that don't get hot, spongy walking surfaces) that are so fun there's a sign restricting adults from crowding out the kids:




And, we discovered another new park:



It's hard to say which of the kids was most entranced with the skatepark. My son took a turn on a girl's skateboard and instantly proclaimed he wanted one for Christmas. We'll be back in Minnesota by then, though, so I think it will have to be a snowboard.