A walk through South Park (a park in Lawrence that is neither South nor full of boxy cartoon characters) is usually nice and relaxing. It is not unusual to find families having picnics, games of ultimate frisbee or catch, concerts in the summer, kiddos splashing in the wading pool, college kids swinging and enjoying ice cream from one of the nearby shops, couples hand in hand, strolling along enjoying the weather and each other, or weddings taking place in the gazebo. This site, however, is fairly unusual.According to the kids sitting on the bench/ climbing the tree, the limb of this probably very old tree just snapped during the middle of the afternoon. The winds were fairly calm today, no thunder or lightning. It just broke! Although Pete and I were in the church right next door when the tree likely came down, we didn't hear anything because it was probably right about the time Scott was rocking out on the drums during the closing song.
The broken limb created a cool canopy and jungle gym for those of us in the park tonight. Unfortunately, I suspect that this branch, along with the entire tree, will soon be removed from South Park, and along with it, part of Lawrence history. The kids sitting on the bench pointed out a little light in the darkness, however: somehow the branch fell at just the right angle and narrowly avoided hitting the baby tree planted just across the sidewalk. Coincidence? I think not. :)
