By Christina M. Wright, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON – Five-year-old Addison Limbrock called down to her father through a nifty-tube Saturday afternoon just before she once again dove down a yellow slide at Pulaski Park.
“It’s a nice day outside and it’s a beautiful place to play,” said her father, Jesse Limbrock, as he looked on at Addison and her brother 3-year-old Jade Ryan Limbrock.
Andersonians bypassed bulky coats, gloves and clunky boots Saturday to enjoy the first weekend sunny day since fall.
“It makes you not think about work, makes you forget about the personal conflicts about life,” Limbrock said of being at the park.
Jason Puma, a meteorologist at the Indianapolis Weather Service, said temperatures reached into the upper 40s Saturday, and were expected to remain above freezing until next winter.
“We don’t have any snow in the forecast,” he said. “And I’m sure that’s a welcome change for some people.”
After a near-week of warmer temperatures and bright sunny days, Puma said, the first part of this week will be at least partly cloudy with the chance of rain on Tuesday and through the rest of the week.
“It really looks like the end of the week is going to be kind of wet,” he said.
But that didn’t stop the Limbrocks and many others from enjoying Saturday’s sun.
Chad Edmonson and his 16-year-old son Chase Edmonson spent the first part of the day working on their farm “messing with the horses,” and then played tennis at Pulaski Park.
“It’s good for the soul,” Chad Edmonson said of the nicer weather.
The Edmonsons said they hadn’t been out and about since October, a sentiment expressed by many of those out on Saturday.
Candace Mench, of Anderson, said she hadn’t taken her 3-year-old daughter Kaydence McDonald to the park since last summer.
“She doesn’t want to leave,” Mench said after they’d been at the park for half an hour.
Abraham Diaz, 16, and his brother and father enjoyed the first game of basketball at the park since November.
“It’s a nice day so we decided to come out and play,” Diaz said.
“We came to enjoy the sunny day and play basketball – and have fun,” Diaz’s little brother Joel Moreno chimed in.
But outdoor activities weren’t the only highlights of a sunny Saturday. Families could be seen lounging in the window-room at Mounds State Park and a sparse group explored the park’s Nature Center.
Cindy Mershon, of Shelbyville, visited the nature center with her daughters and granddaughter.
“We’d never been here before so I thought this was a nice day to come,” she said.
She added that the snow that had mostly melted kept her family cooped up since February.
“We can get out now and do something,” she said. “We can get out and walk and look around.”
And the No. 1 perk for parents Saturday was that their energy-filled children would soon be worn out.
“That’s definitely a benefit,” Mench said.
Contact Christina M. Wright, 640-4883, christina.wright@heraldbulletin.com.
