Ballast Point 
   - Written and Contributed by Edward C. Woodward      

Although standing vigil over Sam in the shallow waters of Hillsborough Bay at Ballast Point Park, he grabbed a broken glass bottleneck. I’d only looked away a few seconds scribbling notes. Luckily, I grabbed the glass before Sam cut himself.

     But the moment made me think about outdoor boundaries. I’m confident that nixing a lake swim with a loitering alligator won’t strangle my kids’ free spirit. But barefoot outdoors? Go for it! Grip the dirt with your toes and run faster. Hear the grass give way to your weight? Sounds like a rustling plastic bag, to me. What do you hear? Loosening the reigns often elicits entertaining observations.

     I once took good-natured flack from some friends for allowing our kids to walk barefooted in our front yard. I heard a pinworm comment. I took it one step further. They might even step on a bee! Imagine learning a life lesson through experience? Or being aware of living things underfoot in the spaces we share as small as your step? I don’t want to raise porcelain dolls. More like worn gloves that have played the game.

    So I let Sam explore the shore while I visually filtered his play area with a keener eye. The litter-strewn shoreline, though disheartening, is an ideal teachable moment. Maybe somebody tossed trash into the bay. Or maybe it was carried on waves of rain rushing into storm water culverts.

     Some 1,000 pipes drain to five watersheds in Tampa, according to Michael Burwell, planning and environmental division head of the city of Tampa’s Stormwater Department. That watershed includes the Hillsborough River and its destination, Hillsborough Bay. Last November volunteers collected about eight tons of trash along the shores of the Hillsborough River, said Burwell. By my calculations, that’s about 188,500 “trash” popsicles, converting the grams of our favored brand to pounds. That’s context your pint-sized environmentalist can comprehend and act upon: a city program offers volunteers plaques illustrating where litter drains that they can attach to neighborhood culverts.    

 

_______  I can swing on monkey bars and slide with abandon sans weird looks.  _______

     Play soon moved from the shoreline to the playground for toddler trailing: the perfect disguise for adult play. I can swing on monkey bars and slide with abandon sans weird looks. Why wouldn’t I? But be forewarned. The monkey bars are still challenging. However, the slides have improved. Plastic is more skin-friendly than hot tin, but you sacrifice speed, man! Another upside? Modern day playgrounds enable good views. The play bridge at Ballast Point might as well be a birder’s lookout. Pelicans have flown low enough that I saw the brown feathers of their underbellies.

     

_______  I’m slightly embarrassed to admit Sam wasn’t fazed either, which tells you how often I speak squirrel.  _______

During this outing, Sam spotted a squirrel in a young oak tree and ditched the playground. I held Sam closer to the squirrel, which was perched about 15 feet high. Then I called the squirrel, a talent culled living in a squirrel sanctuary, also known as our backyard.

     Who knows what squirrels think? The young one in the oak just stared at me, perhaps incredulous that I lacked food. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit Sam wasn’t fazed either, which tells you how often I speak squirrel. Next we gravitated to the sea wall by the boat ramp where Sam channeled his inner-crow and unearthed a worn, yet colorful trinket: a Heineken bottle cap. Note to self: teach Sam to squawk so we can score a free trip to New York for David Letterman’s Stupid Pet & Human Tricks segment.

     

     The final word on Ballast Point. Though I love taking my kids to preserves with hundreds of acres of green space, sometimes they get bored. My kids are 5 and under and they’d rather run wild like wildlife than watch it. At Ballast Point you get both. And with the backdrop of downtown Tampa beyond the bay, you appreciate the forethought of green space in an urban setting.

      Better yet, Ballast Point can be a litmus test for rural outings if you or your child are tentative woods wanderers. Get them hooked on identifying wading birds, then plunge into the woods at Hillsborough River State Park where you’ll find riverside trails and playgrounds. And maybe, depending on the day, glimpse the rarest of creatures: a father and son squirrel barking/crow squawking duo. This wildlife you’re encouraged to feed; Goldfish crackers, if you got ‘em.