Thanks to Eugene J. Patron, Press & Communications Director of Prospect Park, I knew that Thanksgiving Day was the opening day of the Kate Wollman Rink in our beloved park.
I am now on Mr. Patron’s e-mailing list, which means I am up-to-the-minute on all park events.

Daughter and I packed up our skates bought last winter at Good Footing, and car-serviced over to the rink (with her best friend and neighbor). My friend downstairs said she would TIVO the Macy’s parade so the girls could see it later.

The Wollman staff was in good spirits it being the first day of operation. No-one seemed too pissed off about working on Thanksgiving. The guy at the bag-check, candy and supply shop, learned that the price of everything had gone up since last year. "First I heard about it," he said cutting me a break on the price of the bagcheck because I didn’t have 8 cents in change. "Just this time, okay?"

It now costs $1.08 to check your bag up from one buck. No biggie.

The cafe was in fully operational mode: their famous great-for dipping -in-hot-chocolate Churros were as tasty as ever. In addition to H.C., the girls enjoyed cotton candy (yuck), and popcorn sitting outside on the picnic tables.

Days like yesterday make me feel so privileged to live in the small town of Brooklyn. The rink wasn’t crowded at all and its view of the lake surrounded by reeds, grasses and fall foilage was spectacular.

The sky was full blue with majestic clouds and the sun warmed the over-dressed skaters as they skated round and round.

In the months since we last went skaing, Daughter has become an extremely confident and speedy skater. A far cry from the imbalanced, "hold on to me" skater she was less than a year ago.

I attribute it to her excellent physical coordination and balance AND to her NEW SKATES, fancy pink ones with Velcro closures.  Having your own skates is half the battle in the effort to skate well.  Those rented skates are just awful.

Even my skating has improved expoentially since purchasing my own skates.

We walked back through the park passing the Prospect Park Audubon Center & Visitor Center at the Boathouse The "Heart of Brooklyn" trolley picked us up in front of the Zoo and took us to Grand Army Plaza. We walked to Third Street in thick piles of leaves. Daughter and friend picked acors the whole way.

"We’re going to paint them when we get home," Daughter said. And they did.

FOR WHAT’S GOING ON IN PROSPECT PARK TODAY SEE TODAY’S DAILY SPECIALS ON SCOOP DU JOUR (below)