It's Kind of Amazing...

...What you find when you aren't even looking.

And by that, I mean this:

Lar Reiu Park.

In lil' old Walnut Creek.

I know!
I'd never heard of it either. 
But there I was, fresh off a hike in the hills near my house and I decided to explore the area that I've lived in for the past four years a bit more. Exploring this area has never let me down. It's so fun!

Well, so I found this park. Lar Reiu. It was donated to the city in 2007 and turned into a park after the woman who owned the 10 acres it sits on passed away.

There's a big house, I mean really big. It's got a freaking windmill! And a separate tool house. And a green house. And there are even bee boxes and remnants of other great old farmerly things. The house is surrounded by a big fence and locked up. It's so sad! I wonder about that place. It's in the first stages of dilapidation. It's still in great shape... but it won't be for long. I wish I could move in and caretake the place. Unless it's haunted. Because I just don't go for that sort of thing. But seriously. If the city wants to give me free rent and all the construction supplies I can manage, I'll gladly move in and keep up the place. Do you hear me, Walnut Creek? I mean it. The place is amazing.

Before I even found the house I meandered across the "park" paths, frolicking around in the tall grasses and dreaming of all of the adventures I could have had there as a kid... imagining pirate adventures and forts and dinosaurs and princesses. What fun to grow up there! Then I found the house and I truly reverted to being a kid. The explorer in me wanted to see it all so badly! It's just so cool!

So here it is, at least a couple of pictures. Go ahead, daydream a little about breaking in and checking it out, I fully support that daydream. I'll even come along.