Before doing anything else Mabel Watson Payne wanted to bounce on the teeter totter when we first reached the Chinatown playground on Friday afternoon. But the enthusiasm for teeter totter bouncing was (as usual) pretty brief. And then the serious sand work could begin.
Since infancy Mabel has had a particular partiality for the sand pit at this playground. She seems to feel some sort of primal affinity with sand. Sifting it, scooping it, pouring it, tossing it – all these activities amuse and stimulate her. She can spend many minutes simply watching the sand trickle through her fingers. I get the sense that she is fascinated because sand seems to be halfway between liquid and solid.