Korean Friendship Bell

It's Friday night, the little monkey is nuzzled safely in his crib, and Scott and I are at our kitchen table playing a game of Farkle, or trying to catch up on our DVR list that grows faster than we can keep up. Here's how our conversations usually go:

S: What are the plans for the weekend?
Me: I don't know. I don't care. What do you want to do?
S: It's supposed to be nice, I don't want to be stuck inside all weekend.
Me: Me either.

Then we go about trying to find places in the city that we need to explore. Often, these places are relatively far from us. But this weekend was different. We FINALLY did some exploring of our little corner of the city.

Our area has some really awesome parks. So much open space, so much green. So different from when we were living in the heart of the city.

We'd heard of the Korean Friendship Bell. We'd even driven by it. This weekend we decided we really needed to see it.

The Friendship Bell.

The bronze bell was so much larger than anticipated.

Such beautiful, intricate details.
The actual bell is 7½ feet wide, 12 feet tall, and a thickness of 8 inches.
The bell is rung by the wooden log (to the left of the bell). 

My guys.

Cheesin' it up next to the bell.

For me, it's still crazy to see all sorts of flora in February (Iowa and Kansas are grey and barren during the frigid winter months). I had to snap some photos.

What's better than wide open green spaces and a pretty bell? Gorgeous views of the Pacific.

This park has some of the best views!

How did we wait this long to explore such a gem? We'll be heading back often. I foresee games of catch, picnics, and lazy Sundays spent watching the sailboats bob off the coast.

Korean Friendship Bell facts: The bell was presented by the Republic of Korea to the American people to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States and to symbolize friendship between the two nations.  It was dedicated on October 3, 1976. Beginning in 2010, the bell is struck five times a year: on New Year's Eve, Korean American Day (January 13), the national Independence Day of the United States (Fourth of July), Korean Liberation Day (August 15), and every September in celebration of Constitution Week. It was also rung on September 11, 2002 to commemorate the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. *
*Source: Wikipedia