The allure isn't just the labor side of it, there are cost savings, and as in many trends currently, the green aspect (bask in the glory of the pun). Still, the first image that comes to mind when talking about artificial turf is the faker than fake, common on the front porch, driving range, or back of an El Camino AstroTurf.
There have been significant advances in synthetic turf. I have played tennis on a simulated grass surface that was super short astroturf with sand on it. When you fall on it you looked like you went ten rounds with a cheese grater. I have played lacrosse on old school, faux turf as well. When you fall on it, you were guaranteed to lose at least the first few layers of your skin unless you were crafty enough to put a layer of vaseline on your legs in which case that got scraped off first. I have also had the opportunity to play on the late 1990s versions which had longer blades and chopped up tire bits in the mix. When you fall on it you lost skin, but made up for it with bits of rubber in your teeth, hair, and eyes.
I let my natural, grassy tree lawn (between the sidewalk and street) go a little too long without mowing so it took 10 minutes to get it cut down with the push mower. It looks a little scalped but should return to its former glory in short order. Taking care of it wasn't really that difficult and I don't plan on replacing it with an artificial substitute, nor will I be putting any in the backyard when the time comes. I think the real deterrent isn't the aesthetic, but the fact that artificial turf can and will heat up to 60 degrees hotter than grass, no thanks.
On the riding front, I am still in recovery mode from the weekend of riding, traveling, and whatnot. I get to test with Mike tomorrow, should be interesting to see where early/mid-season fitness is these days.
1 comment:
My favorite is still the concrete "lawn" that's been painted green; an ever-popular choice down at the Jersey shore...
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