Hello, In our little kid days, we had sandboxes at the neighborhood playgrounds and at the nearby schoolyards. Our yard in the far reaches of the Westside of Long Beach looked like the photo with the kids. Some grass for the majority, but the edges of the fences on both sides of the yard had patches of dirt for some excellent dirt clod days and solid fort building days for our little cars and green army men. We did not need sand, but the dirt, wet or dry, made wonderful walls, buildings and army forts. When we bought a family home for our son, a single story, large yard, fenced in with heavy gates, it was backyard paradise for us. Privacy and seclusion, but did not have a specific play area for our son. The OC ground surface was rocky and full of dirt, but not the highly naturally fortified topsoil from years of spreading out in the shoreline plains of the Long Beach city coastline. The Westside Long Beach homes were all a part of the huge “alluvial fan” from the end result of the flowing Los Angeles River coming to the coast from far inland Los Angeles and the valley communities/farms. This naturally occurring phenomenon had plus factors going for it that we new parents in the OC did not have. Our mom wanted a bush, she took cuttings and soaked them to get ready to plant in the yard. She dug a hole and dropped in the fresh root and a nice green flower plant or bush was a foot tall within a few weeks. The soil was rich in nutrients from the years of the spreading, flowing Los Angeles River, long before any homes were built in this area. We, as new parents and a yard had to supplement any plant from the garden shop with mulch, topsoil, and added soil nutrients in different amendment bags or liquid from bottles. (Like B-1 for shock to the new plants.) My mom ever used any liquid or granule nutrients, as her soil was already “naturally” supported from the million years of flowing topsoil that was on its way to the ocean. A lot of it stopped to make the low flatland where, many years later, a community of tract houses was built. Jnaki As little kids, we played in the good topsoil from the L.A. River that was a part of our yard. But, as much as we tried to get our new family yard soil to be soft enough for our son to be able to dig around and play, it was a lost cause. Since we had some redwood planks from another yard project laying around, I made a custom sand box for our son. My wife wanted fresh sand and we got several sterilized play sand from the old hardware store and filled it up. We also made a secure cover to protect it from wandering animals and the three neighborhood cats that love white sand. If and when we did not go or could not go to the beach for some water, sand and sun, my wife used the large sandbox for her personal beach. For her sunbathing, snacks and reading areas that was in a fairly private yard. A large umbrella added some protection for everyone during the intense sunny days. Picnic lunch at the local “Naki’s Beach” was just as good as the real thing, just a mile or two down the road. (As the play yard was right next to the sunbathing area…HA!) …YRMV Our son probably thought his parents were crazy. The "warmth of the sun" and clean white sand all made it worth while to spend time in that "sandbox" beach locale. The only thing necessary was some trickling water sounds like the ocean. For easy clean off or clean up, a hose and outdoor shower head made things easy for us.
The Jalopy Journal
