Riding lawn mowers hover over the green patches of Melwood Recreation Center’s 108 acre campus. They have the motion and sound of bees hovering peacefully over lily pads in a pond.
Yesterday’s storms have cleared the oppressive heat and left us with warm air stirred by the occasional crisp breeze.
Two new staff members have arrived at Melwood just in time to see the change. Lukasz from Katowice, Poland and Dale from Manchester, England.
Dale was a winning contestant on Deal Or No Deal [UK] and will be keeping the office together this summer.
David and Lukasz spent some time helping in the horse barn today. Riding lessons are used as therapy as well as entertainment for campers.
Lukasz is going to be working for the Facilities Crew this summer. He and lifeguard David, from Belfast, Ireland, were walking back from the Learning Garden, discussing their shared love of sports.
“I loved playing [European] football (soccer) until I was about 16,” Lukasz said. “Then I discovered basketball. I find it’s much more exciting. With [European] football a goal is only worth one point. In basketball you have three-point shots and other variations. It goes much faster.”
David laughed.
“For me it’s about opposite,” he said. “I played basketball until I was about 16. Then I turned to [European] football. You have to be pretty tall to play basketball in school, so after 16 I didn’t really have much more I could grow. But I still love to play!”
David stands 5’ 6” tall next to Lukasz’s 6’ 2”. Even though it’s just one of many differences, we here at Melwood can think of one place you’ll be able to find these two fast-made friends this summer.
Melwood Recreation Center 