TeWinkle Park, Costa Mesa

I love parks, all kinds of parks, all kinds of places.

TeWinkle, though, is a standout. It has water (always a plus), shade, plenty of room to roam, and the gorgeous, accessible Angel's Playground.  A win all around, I'd say.

The first noticeable feature of TeWinkle Park (for an adult, anyway) is the gorgeous, big pond/stream system running through the main area. There was, briefly,  fountain in the center, too, though I do not know how often or for how long it is on.

Several small waterfalls and a small, meandering stream make this a very restful spot. Also, there are bridges for dreaming on, though I have to admit that, when I was there, they were mostly being used as photo ops for various celebrations. I guess they're good for that, too!

Critter count: I found the usual suspects--pigeons aplenty, lots of rowdy crows, some squirrels high up in those lovely pine trees, ducks and geese (of course), and painted turtles in the pond. There seemed a relatively low amount of the insect-type of critter, which is odd, given all the water, but, then, I was primarily visiting for picnicking, not taking a census (this time).

Trees: Lots, and of good height. The pine trees, especially, had been allowed to get nice and tall.

There was also plenty of room for running around/soccer games/what have you and the absolutely gorgeous Angel's Playground, a fully accessible playground with wide ramps, plenty to clime and explore, and appealing bright colors.

There are bathrooms, water fountains, and plenty of picnic tables in the shade, making this a park well worth going out of your way to visit (Not "I'm going to drive an hour or more to see this" sort of out of the way but "I want a nice, afternoon picnic"  or "I need somewhere for the kids to play kind of visit.

Helme Park, Huntington Beach, Notes

 I just noticed that all the pictures from Helme Park that I thought worth keeping are of trees. So, yes, it did well on the tree quotient. It shows up as a small, green blob on the map, and it isn't terribly large. It is, however, big enough to have a good-sized row of conifers (pines? But I want to call them all pines, and I don't think that's really right) on one side. They provide a good amount of shade. At mid-afternoon, when I got there, they were shading the entire play area.

They are also big enough and have enough branches that kids can climb them. When I was there, someone was up in one, claiming it proudly as "My tree!"

There were at least four other kinds, as well, that had been planted out at different stages. One had a nice pair of birdhouses in them (Actually, these show up in several parks, which is awesome), but it was quite the wrong time of year for checking to see if any bird ever used them.

Critter quotient: I heard several finches and saw some interesting flying and fluttering creatures too small and too fast for me to identify. It seemed slightly above average, more than the neighbor's lawn, say, but not outstanding. Thanks to the trees, the picnic tables might actually be in the shade sometimes--and by shade, I mean full, deep, cool shade.

Playground equipment: Yes. The standard yellow-and-red setup. There's also a large sandbox which, as a child, I would have found enchanting. As an adult, I confess, I wonder about the neighborhood cats.

Bathrooms: No.

Water fountains: No.

Parking: on the street.

Will you be able to forget you're in the city? No, but it is a quiet neighborhood and a pleasant little park for a picnic, especially if you have kids.

Langenbeck Park, Huntington Beach, Notes

Langenbeck Park is (according to the official website)half a mile long, a long skinny L of a park directly below humming power lines and decked with huge, spiked power-line towers, complete with "Do not climb" warning signs.

Picnic Tables: Yes. Some of them are even in the shade. This is not a given, by the way. I'm not sure that the people who plant the trees and the people who park the tables ever talk with one another at all, or look at how far shade is likely to reach.

Trees: It has plenty of trees. I counted at least four kinds, most kept to the tall, straight ideal, not my favorite kind, I admit, but a tree is a tree, and I'd rather straight than none.  They also included a couple of types I had not seen in other parks, so hurray for keeping things interesting and varied!

Two were even flowering when I visited. It's not the sort of park that really invites sitting down and pondering the nature of the universe, but still, the trees are there to provide grace notes and to shade the path.

Critter quotient: I went in the early fall, which may affect the count somewhat. Still, this is Southern California, so looking for birds and bests is not unreasonable. Overall, it was lower than I'd have expected for that much open space, with most of the birdsong coming from chattering finches who seemed to really like the power-towers (contrary creatures!). Most of the crows I saw were flying over nearby houses, though a couple had strayed into the park. Oh, and a pair of ring-necked pigeons were hunting for food under one of the towers.

I did not do a very detailed bug-hunt. Nothing notable flew up when I scuffed my feet. I did see a Phoebe sitting on one of the picnic tables, though, which is an indication of at least some bug-ness. Overall, I'd put the critter count at higher than average for the city in general, but I wouldn't suggest going to Langenbeck Park to bird watch.

The landscaping is not especially welcoming for birds and beasts, being mostly clipped grass and the aforementioned trees. No raggedy edges or ripened grass for anything to hide in or eat from.

Bathroom? Nope.

Drinking fountains: Also no. (As someone commented, "If you don't drink any water, you won't need to pee.")

Sports stuff: No. No kite flying, either, for obvious reasons.

Parking: On the street. It looked like there were plenty of different neighborhood areas with access to the park, so I doubt there's much trouble finding space, though I do advise checking street-sweeping days and the like.

Play Structures: I can't remember, and I didn't make notes on this.  I think not, but I'm not going to swear to that.

 

 Does this look like something you'd want to climb?

Will you be able to forget you're in the city? Not with those towers and that hum overhead. That said, there are worse uses to make of power line land (I've seen some stretches of rocky, barren wasteland, all fenced off and good for no one, not even the bugs). Also, there is a nice, long, curving sidewalk running the length of the park, and I imagine that it must make a pleasant addition to the daily walk or run. I saw quite a few people walking their dogs and one person intently rollerblading along the way.  It looks like it might be nice for varying a bike route, as well, but I did not think to check what the park regulations said about that.

As an added bonus, someone who wants more than half-mile Langenbeck provides can also cross Magnolia at the crosswalk by the nearby Home Depot and continue on through Talbert Park.

Talbert Park, Huntington Beach

Talbert Park and Langenbeck Park are, in many ways, two halves of one park. In fact, if Magnolia did not provide a rather considerable interruption, there would be no reason to say They were two different parks.

They share the same long, straight stretch of power line, the same definite hum, and the same curving path under the trees. Also, with the  nearby shopping center providing a nearby crosswalk, it's not too bad getting from one to the other, a definite plus for those who want to get their daily jog or walk in without having to stick to city streets.

Trees: Yes, including some rather pretty ones with nice, large, pink flowers (see above). Lake Park has a big one, but they don't seem too common.

It looked like there were maybe one or two different plantings of trees, as well, which always adds to the beauty, letting the trees be different sizes. Also, there are a couple that have been allowed to gain character.

One big one has a good spread of low-lying branches at crazy angles. It looks like it might be worth sitting under for a while.
Critter count: This surprised me. There were a whole lot more birds here than in Langenbeck, and all I had done was cross the road--and I noticed the difference crossing back, too. However, the Talbert Park website mentions that Talbert Channel is nearby, and that may explain matters. Both birds and bugs are going to be happier with water nearby. I wonder, though, is Talbert Channel like Talbert Lake, a come-and-go matter? This year, it would be all "go," water-wise,but there may not be any water at all, some years, if it's like many of our creeks/lakes/channels.

Bathrooms: I didn't see any.

Water fountains: I didn't see any.

Playgrounds: Yes. The standard setup with the yellow slide, red ladders, swings. Comes in two sizes, too, so it's great for all ages. Don't bring any little ones who are potty-training, though (see above on bathrooms).

Sports stuff: Yes. Talbert Park actually spreads out later on, merging with a school area, and has some big, flat areas for soccer etc. You'll have to check just what, though, as I forget. The sports equipment is not really high on my list of priorities, I'm afraid.

Parking: On the street--not on Magnolia, though.

Will you be able to forget you are in a city? No. See humming power lines. Is it a Good Thing to Have? Yes. Definitely. Parks are always good!

Newland Park, Huntington Beach

Newland Park is another nice little pocket park. It has what I suspect is a slightly older model of the red-and-yellow play area (more metal), plus a really nice wooden bridge and walkway. I know that when I was a kid, the bridge would have become all sorts of grand imaginary places, and my adult self still enjoyed walking across it while I admired the curve of the path.

There was also a good-sized flat field where kids (from the school next door?) were practicing soccer, and plenty of nice trees. There were the usual suspects and, as I'm starting to see more and more, it looked like there were at least three plantings. I do love the way the city park department keeps the sizes and ages of the trees different. It makes for a much more appealing park.

Wardlow Park Trees

Whatever its other limitations, Wardlow Park has a lovely lot of trees.

Wardlow Park, Huntington Beach

Wardlow Park is both a well-tended Huntington Beach park and a somewhat scraggly, unloved, leftover Fountain Valley school property. There is no clear fence, so the boundaries are only apparent when one looks at the ground and notes the beginning of the sprayed, dying weeds.

And, with no clear boundary, they look like one unit, so I treated as one on my visit (I did not find out about the Fountain Valley part until later). So: The front side is mostly a nice, smooth green lawn with just one little hillock near Magnolia. There is also a good portion devoted to baseball diamonds which is both well-tended and confusingly labeled as school property, so I do not actually know who owns which or why. The articles I ran across in a web search when I was trying to clear things up were not entirely helpful, either: Fountain Valley sold at least some school property to Huntington Beach and that became part of Wardlow Park. I can't tell whether or not they sold all the property, so I don't know how the unloved part is categorized.

Anyway, the Wardlow Park that I saw is a long stretch of property along Magnolia and Adams that extends back quite a distance. The first part has the baseball diamonds and also a nice, sandy playground (standard yellow and red climber) with swings and lots of room to play.

It also, unusually, has a drinking fountain, but I wouldn't count on it as a source of water. When I was there, the fountain had been stopped up and looked distinctly gross. Also, there was a brown widow web on the underside of the faucet with four egg sacs. This really isn't a problem, in a lot of ways, since widow and drinkers are unlikely to come into contact, but, despite my general love of spiders, it did contribute to the "Ick!" factor.

The restrooms may or may not have been connected to the park and may or may not have been open; they were sort of "eh" looking so I got all picky and finicky and didn't try the doors. Sorry, folks. It happens.

They were in the unloved area, near the school, in a place where the grass is mowed and herbicide occasionally applied, but where the maintenance has clearly been dialed down to near-minimal. There's a sad-looking basketball court back there, and the day I visited, several someones had clearly spent quite some time amusing themselves by breaking glass on the asphalt. No one had been by to sweep or to clear up the trash accumulated in the leftover (soccer? Look, I don't do sports) goal nearby. There was a really attractive tree back there, but someone had been draping stuff in it, and the school yard had been turned into a makeshift dog park (Can't blame anyone there. What else is it being used for?)

The nice, clear, pretty green of Wardlow Park proper.

The first look at the park stretching back and back.

A phoebe keeping an eye on things.

The old, boarded-up school, looking very sad and out of place.

The park department generally takes very good care of things, so I wonder who is meant to be looking after this?

Moffett Park, Huntington Beach

Moffett Park(1), on the wonderfully named Meander Lane, is a nice little pocket park next to a school. That means that, right after school gets out, it's full of kids and parents enjoying the chance to rest after a busy day.

On the other hand, it stretches back quite a bit further than I'd have expected, so even after school, there was a nice, shady corner near the wall suitable for quiet contemplation of the view and sitting down to take notes on the park in general.

And, yes, it was shady. There are plenty of tall, well-grown trees in the park. Some of them even have flowers, which may account for the fact that there were plenty of bugs and birds. Hummingbirds and butterflies both seemed to appreciate the chance to snack.

In addition to the jacarandas, Moffett park had a lot of those lovely, knobby trees that grow strange and wonderful trunks (I have got to get the names for some of these plants!), plus some of those twisty-trunk conifers, so it scores high on my trees-of-character scale.

The park is also made interesting by not being completely level. There are several little hillocks that keep it visually interesting and also help separate one section from another without forming absolute barriers. All in all, one of the better parks I've visited so far(2).

Drinking fountains: No. Restrooms: Does a fenced-and-locked port-a-potty count? That was weird. I mean, who builds a port-a-potty-sized fence? And why? Surely the point of the things is that they are portable?

___
(1)Yes, I do watch too much Doctor Who. I keep wanting to spell it Moffat and thinking that is a much better name.
(2) I am pretty sure I've said this before, but just in case: All parks are good parks. Any park creates a zone of good-ness just by existing. However, ones that is established, there are shades of greatness, and Moffett is higher up on the scale than some.

McCallen Park, Huntington Beach

McCallen Park is both a park and the headquarters of the Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Beach(about which I know zilch). It's pretty much a pocket park, a nice bit of green tucked between streets. By the way, both appearance and the website linked above indicate that that tempting parking lot is for the club, not for people visiting the park, so streetside it is, if you're driving.
It looks like there's a setup for soccer, and there are a couple of picnic tables, though those are unusually beat up. I'm not sure I'd want to set food on them, or sit on the benches, without a certain amount of extra covering. The phoebes like them, though. In general, phoebes seem to find picnic tables to be useful for bug-watching. I've seen them on bench or table in several parks now. I suppose they do provide a clear, branch-free view and height at the same time.

There is a playground, but it is behind a fence. The gate was open and the walkway free and clear when I went through, but I have no idea how normal this is or is not.

Rstrooms? No. Water fountain: Likewise, no. Possibly people coming for the Boys & Girls club have access to both (I'd be surprised if they didn't, given that there's a whole building there), but it doesn't look like people just walking through do (Then again, I've never actually tried going through those impressive doors)

Discovery Well Park, Huntington Beach

There is a park commemorating Huntington Beach's first oil strike. I don't know why I find this odd, but I do.

Strange origins or not, Discovery Well Park is one of Huntington Beach's more impressive pocket parks. It is a long, narrow park, stretching quite a bit further than it looks like. There's plenty of flat ground for running, tumbling, or playing various sports. There are picnic tables.

Also, there's a nice little rise to keep things from getting boring, and it's planted with a small grove of trees. I didn't notice any particularly outstanding trees of character (You know, like the one in Lake Park that always looks like it's thinking of eating the guests), but a mini-forest is not a bad substitute. Also, there's some nice palm trees growing at the edge.

The playground was impressive, too. It had a different design of playground equipment and was set up over a large mat of that nice, spongy stuff they put playgrounds on. In fact, this is one of the first playgrounds I've seen where it looks like any falls really would hit the mat, no matter what direction they were in.

It was raining the day I walked by, so all sensible critters were tucked away, out of the wet. It looks to me, though, like there wasn't anything that would make Discovery Well Park more appealing to them than any other park, so I'd guess that there are more birds and bugs there than in the neighboring suburbs, ubt not by much.

Worthy Park, Huntington Beach

I had thought Worthy Park a small park. The bit that shows by the street looks like an afterthought bit of green, added to rest the eyes but not much for visiting. It proved deceptive, however, as the park actually extends back quite a way.

In addition to that little pocket area by the streets with the picnic tables, there is a playground area for the kids, racquetball courts, baseball diamonds, and some other sports-like fields.


The playground equipment is the standard red-and-yellow model, or rather, models: One for the little kids, one for the older ones. Plus, there are swings.

There were, as I'm beginning to think normal (and good), plenty of trees--at least three kinds planted at at least two different times, plus a rather forlorn looking sapling all on its lonesome. I like the way Huntington Beach does trees: They seldom seem to go for the popsicle-stick  model, but instead allow the trees to spread and twist a bit. It's much more interesting.

The good news is that the picnic tables in the park are actually in the shade. The bad news is, the park is at the intersection of Main and 17th, so your view is going to be less "bluebirds and butterflies" and more "SUV's and minivans." At least you'll be comfortable while you have it.

You might spot a squirrel or two while you're dining, and maybe a few small flying things, though I scuffd up fewer than I expected of those. Maybe they didn't like the fact that the ground was sopping wet?

Bring your own water. There's no fountain. On the other hand, there don't seem to be any restrooms, either, unless you count a very old, smelly port-a-potty that will probably be gone by the next visit.