February 5, 2022 --

The image accompanying this item shows adults looking at their children going down the hill at Ewen Park in Riverdale, January 30, after the season's first significant snowfall (about 6 inches).   If the image would have been taken in 1952, instead of 2022, it would have shown adults watching children going down the hill on Flexible Flyer or Speedway sleds, with iron runners.  Today, not a sled with iron runners in sight.  All the children were going downhill on variuos shapes of plastic -- in the form of flying saucers or toboggans.   Plastic!  LPR thought plastic had become an environmental no-no.

It would take old-timers like LPR to know how deprived the current generation is, sledding-wise.  There was no feeling (short of skiing) that left one as exhilarated as climbing back up a hillside, Flexible Flyer in tow, after a speedy, twisting downhill journey on a real sled, made of solid wood and iron.  How does one steer a piece of plastic, anyway?

No more Flexible Flyers or Speedways

Adults watching children going down a snowy hill on pieces of plastic

This link explains why we don't have Flexible Flyers anymore -- to the detriment of truly exhilarating wintry days.

CLICK TO VIEW LINK