Over Memorial Day weekend, a friend and I took our kids to a local playground. The playground itself was delineated by woodchips and wooden beams (I guess they were) but it was in the middle of a huge park. At the time, I was sort of wishing there was a fence because the playground was big enough that I couldn't always see my kids.

And then I noticed this guy with a metal detector going through the grass part of the park. He was a little odd looking but I only noticed him because he looked like a park employee at first and then I realized he was searching for stuff.

And then he kept on sweeping, going into the woodchip area, stopping under the playground equipment, digging stuff up in the kids' play area.

I don't think I ever thought he was going to pick up a kid and run. But when he entered the play area, I definitely watched him for a few moments. Intellectually, I think civil liberties are very valuable but the parent in me was thinking "seriously, dude, you have the entire park to do your thing in. This is a kid area."

Or just check and see what your local laws and/or regs are.

I think I've seen "no adults without kids" signs before, but I can't recall where. And I'm sure I adhered to it. The signs I'm always looking out for are the No Dogs signs. I don't break that one.

Oh David - there's an ad on TV these days about a new phone/web service and the theme is "more cats on the internet!"

My first thought was that it would be your personal idea of hell.

Yeah, I've seen that commercial. I thought of me too and my personal hell! Though, I don't think I muttered anything wittier than a purely sarcastic, "Just the thing."

When I was about 7 or 8 my friends and I went to the park by ourselves for a picnic. A man came up with a little toddler girl--his own, I assume--and then proceeded to expose himself to us. So even parents in the park can be really fucking creepy sometimes.

[edited to add spoiler font just in case]

Yeah, the security theater aspect is what struck me. Most pedophiles are not strangers on the street (or the playgrounds), they're people within the social networks of the children they abuse. Refusing adults unaccompanied by children access to playgrounds doesn't actually do much (if anything) to protect those children, who presumably are already accompanied by an adult anyway.

Totally.

I don't think I ever thought he was going to pick up a kid and run. But when he entered the play area, I definitely watched him for a few moments. Intellectually, I think civil liberties are very valuable but the parent in me was thinking "seriously, dude, you have the entire park to do your thing in. This is a kid area."

The parent in me wouldn't have been bothered. My aunt metal detects. Young adults and kids in their late teens often go to playgrounds (or did, before the paranoia police state) and lose change on the swings. It's prime turf for fun finds.

Intellectually, I think civil liberties are very valuable but the parent in me was thinking "seriously, dude, you have the entire park to do your thing in. This is a kid area."

I've developed what I call the "acknowledge" body language in response to people/situations where I feel suspected by strangers for some reason or other. I'll glance over, just enough to convey, "Okay, I know you're there, so I won't run into you. Other than that, I'm ignoring you."

I used to look for change in the area by my elementary school where parents let kids off. Quite a bit of change intended for lunch money and the like ended up in the gravel.

I had an archaeology professor who was a classical archaeologist specializing in coins. His years of practice meant he picked up $200 to $300 in change a year on campus.

I should add, it wasn't the metal detecting that was weird. But the guy just sort of charged in to the play area, under the equipment, sort of displacing kids as he went b

To me, that story is an example of how I "know" something is likely fine, but I still "felt" I intruded upon.

Yeah, in that case, he's being a rudesby and requires a Glower of Doom and a pointed, "EXCUSE ME???"

Makes me wonder if he'd lost something, but STILL. An explanation would be good.

Horseracing pitutures from the NYT archives.

(I didn't know that once there was steeplechasing at Aqueduct - is there still?)

Horsetalkhas an entire page of links to stories about cloned horses.