Diversions (1)

Let's face it, not everyone has the same affinity for nature and the environment. And not everyone loves to fish for hours. This is particularly true with kids. Most kids can have a short attention span and may need a bit more variety or different forms of entertainment and activity. The 'patience' gene is often weakest among the youngest. Realizing kids and adults alike appreciate a bit of variety we have added a few simple 'diversions' for fun around the pond.
One of the first things we added was horseshoes. We decided we would place the horseshoe pits away from the pond and down near the edge of the woods. This would keep it out of the traffic flow and also provide adequate shade through-out the day making for a nice comfortable game or two. This is no regulation horseshoe pitching lane. The ground is sloped just a bit and pits are often covered in pine straw. But, after all, this is just for fun and laughs.

We went a step further and provide not only regulation size horseshoes but also real horseshoes (right off the horse's hoof). Although they are harder to toss accurately, they are much easier for the kids to handle as they are much lighter. We also have some of the hard rubber shoes for the much younger children so they can get in on the fun, too. Also, we shorten the distance required for the toss depending on the age and abilities of the players so that everyone can join in. One good thing is we can just leave the horseshoes out year around so if you want to play a quick game you don't have to go retrieve the equipment. A quick paint job periodically is all that is required to keep them presentable. (Oops, looks like it is time for that paint job on the post.)

And one other thing. Notice the white cap on the post? That is a common leg protector used on chair legs to keep them from scratching floors. We put them on to provide a little protection from the hard metal of the post tops should someone accidentally fall on or against a post. They rarely impact the play of the game and we felt they were prudent, especially considering the number of younger children who come over to play.