You know, one of the "funnest' issues of the year has to be the annual Playgrounds Issue which, in addition to the regular 32,000+ LASN magazines we mail every month (almost double our closest competitor, by the way . . . ), we will also distribute this issue from LASN's booth at the NRPA Show, October 14-16 in Charlotte, N.C. That said, the articles we are presenting this year are about as fun looking, full of play and adventurous as anything we have published in the past.

Ahhhhhh . . . The past . . .

You know, not that many years ago playgrounds were all pretty typical. Steel swings, slides, monkey bars and teeter-totters were the basic elements, and grass or sand was at the feet of the kids. That's what I grew up with (Hey . . . It wasn't THAT many years ago . . . ). Then, right about when we first started LASN, playgrounds began to evolve into towers and plastics, and straight lines became curved elements, and bright colors lit up the playgrounds. That led to bridges and accessible access.

Designers started to add roofs and shade and walls with handles for climbing. Then, the planners began to ask for input from the community and themed playgrounds with turtles and pirate ships and the wild animals of the Serengeti started appearing across the country . . . Of course the fun thing about being in this business is that things just keep growing. As the Landscape Architectural profession has grown in stature, more developers and cities are enlisting your creativity to enhance their projects . . . And let me tell you . . . It shows!