The best playgrounds are evolving

It's hard to beat summer fun around these parts because, well, summer is short. For young kids, that means time well spent at a neighborhood playground.

We should be glad playgrounds are improving much in the same way computer technology is advancing. It appears our playgrounds are getting quite fancy so as to compete against those computers, smartphones and tablets that garner much attention from kids. And don't think for a minute the youngsters romping around on playgrounds are too young to get hooked on iPad or Android tablet entertainment. They are not.

The equation is simple. Computers are always advancing, so why shouldn't our playground equipment? After all, we want our kids outside, right?

The new "Spacecraft Miracle" being built at Wheeler Park in Geneva is a good example of the new playground standard. It will feature a space capsule, a rocket, climbing walls and slides with a NASA type theme.

But other great playgrounds abound in this area. Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles, the "water park" at Fields of Geneva East's Moore Park, and the Hawk's Nest at Peck Farm in Geneva come to mind. But various other sites, far more than we could spot in our travels, have upgraded with new equipment throughout the Tri-Cities.

The older Rocket Ship Park off Prairie Street in St. Charles stands as a testament to what a playground should offer no matter what era - something pretty cool that kids will always remember.

Using that as a measure, kids have a lot of cool playgrounds around here.

Let them paddle

Even if you don't know anyone paddling along the Fox River in Sunday's annual Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race, it is fun to find a spot along the Fox River to watch the participants cruise by.

If you watch north of Batavia, you'll only see those in the 10-mile race from St. Charles to Aurora. The 6-mile excursion starts in Batavia.

I can't recall how long the race was years ago, but it started in South Elgin and went all the way to Aurora, so it was a good pop.

A Masterful burger

Last week I mentioned how local prep sports fans love the rivalries between the high schools around here. The new Crosstown Pub and Grill in Batavia makes the most of these rivalries with various rivalry-themed decorations.

But let's not forget to mention this place has really good food. I recently had one of its burgers, called The Master. It was a teriyaki soaked burger with grilled pineapple, crumbled bleu cheese, bacon and a side of wasabi mayonnaise. Is your mouth watering?

No weight gain?

OK, so I just mentioned another huge burger that I devoured at a local restaurant, and readers keep asking me how the extra pounds somehow stay off my frame.

First, let me say as my body ages it indeed is getting softer and plumper around the midsection. So I am certainly not immune to that transformation. But my weight has stayed around 150 pounds, give or take a few, for the past four decades.

But here's something you may not know. That Master Burger from Crosstown? I took home half, as well as the fries, and made another meal out of it.

Did the same last week with an Italian beef from Franky's on the east side of St. Charles and what they generously call a "regular" order of fries. I ate half of the beef sandwich the next day and the fries, well, that regular order lasted three days. Reminded me of Mike and Miguel's in Geneva, where an order of fries could last a week.

Moral of the story? No one says you have to "eat the whole thing" in one sitting at a restaurant or at any other meal, really, and it might just help make sure your body doesn't balloon on you.

Chocolate milk refuel

This is probably what I should have told the nun who was my fourth-grade teacher at the Catholic school after I got sick from drinking about four cartons of chocolate milk during a Valentine's Day classroom party (no, it was not a pretty sight).

The Kane County Farm Bureau says "chocolate milk contains an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein that helps refuel tired muscles almost twice as effective as commercial sports drinks."

Wait, was there such a thing as commercial sports drinks when I was in fourth grade in 1963? Something tells me the answer is no.

We know seasons

If it didn't make one cry, the old saying that we have only two seasons around here - the winter season and the road construction season - might make you chuckle.

Something tells me we won't be chuckling too much as work continues on State Street in Geneva and we endure a fairly good round of pavement work scheduled for Fabyan Parkway.

But was anyone laughing during that Main Street construction in St. Charles the past few years? And, of course, the words road construction strikes deathly fear in Batavians because they already deal with pretty rugged gridlock in town at certain times of the day.

In short, we're all in this together during our two not-so-fun seasons.

dheun@sbcglobal.net