Thursday, February 22, 2007

"Whee...Slide!" at Home

Who wants to go all the way to the Edinburgh Zoo every time you feel the urge to “Whee...Slide!”?

“It's a long way down!”A perfect landing every time


Imagine my excitement when I saw a giveaway “Whee...Slide!” appear in my Freecycle™ email. “Would it fit in a small car?” “Probably...I've got the allen wrench to disassemble it.” We borrowed our friends’ car, drove to the little pit village outside of Durham, and as soon as Ellie saw it, she gleefully screamed, “Orantz [i.e. Orange....her favorite color] Whee...Slide!” She had no idea it would soon be hers.

As we struggled with the rusted bolts (luckily, we brought tools and the nice donor had a some WD-40 she let us use), the neighborhood kids started gathering around to watch. As hushed whispers and calls to friends started to multiply, we realized we had become a spectacle. “Come see the Americans!” “They came for the slide!” Finally, one brave lad screwed up his courage to ask, “Did you fly on an airplane to come here?” Well...yes, in a manner of speaking....

Eventually enough of the bolts came loose that we could carry the pieces over to the car. Fold down the seat, thread it through from the boot, aha -- it all fit!

With only moderate difficulty, we figured out where all the pieces were supposed to go back together. Then it was time for the inaugural “Whee...Slide!” down the “Whee...Slide!”

Watch the exciting video below. You'll hear her saying, “Again..again!” as she starts up the ladder. I'm sure she'll get the hang of sitting up while she slides down eventually, but this way is pretty fun.

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