It was just a long rectangular piece of yellow plastic tacked down to the grass with a hose attached. But these days the good ol' Slip'N Slide brings back nostalgic memories of those lazy days of summer vacation in Michigan.
I loved summer as a kid and spent most of it outside. A favorite memory is hanging out in the backyard and running through the oscillating sprinkler that moved back and forth. My parents used it to water the lawn, but for me it was a challenge to see how fast I could run through it.
Then came the Slip'N Slide. So high-tech compared to the sprinkler. With the hose attached, water shot out of the edge and covered the slide. On sunny days, the puddles of water heated up. Then when you went for a slide, warm water went flying. This was much better than trying to slide when there wasn't enough water on the plastic. This resulted in getting stuck in the middle. After a couple days on the lawn, there was an indentation of faded grass and mud under the slide, but it was all part of the Slip'N Slide experience.
Did you grow up in a house with a backyard and spend summers outdoors? Did you ever have a Slip'N Slide? Or maybe you were lucky enough to have a pool?
Slip'N Slide was invented in 1961, so last year it celebrated its 50 year anniversary. Now there are fancier new models like the Triple Racer with three lanes, so three people can race each other at the same time. But I'll always remember the Slip'N Slide as that plain yellow piece of plastic representing pure summer fun!
3 comments:
I wanted a slip n slide and my parents said no way in hell they were gonna damage their lawn that way. We lived so close to the beach that they couldn't see the point/need of a slip/slide. Then my aunt and uncle installed a pool, down the street from my house, so that pretty much put my slip/slide request to bed.
I always wanted one, but running through the sprinklers (flat hoses my parents positioned on the lawn at various intervals to eventually water all the grass) had to suffice. Summers outdoors? You betcha.
Slip n' Slides are so much fun! Especially down a hill!
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