Thursday, November 30, 2017

Seeing Double at the Reflecting Pond

Every morning we walk to the National Mall and there is usually something to see. This week the Capitol Christmas Tree and its' giant tree top star arrived from Montana and is being decorated this week; the botanical garden Christmas Trains and Roadside Adventures beckons to visitors and locals alike; and yesterday teleflora was giving away bouquets of flowers for the #loveoutloud campaign. Sometimes the beauty is in the scenes that we see all year, and stand out even more depending on the season and the time of day. The sun was brilliant and the recently cleaned out reflecting pond was still. It was an unusual windless day! So whatever surrounds the pond looks stunning in the mirror image that is created. It's not quite winter and feels like fall, and the golden leaves remaining on the trees cast a warm glow on every corner. The Capitol building is always striking. The office buildings across the way dot the landscape. The recently restored Ulysses S Grant statue stands tall above the crowd. The National Gallery of Art was also recently renovated and shows the sleek modern lines in the reflection. The Smithsonian American Indian Museum blends in to the blue sky and water. We always wonder what it would feel like to live somewhere else. I think we would miss a week like this. 












Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Teleflora #loveoutloud

It's been a busy week so far on our morning walks to the National Mall. On Monday the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived from Montana along with a huge star tree topper following behind. Yesterday we slipped in to the Botanic Garden before the throngs of people arrived and saw the Roadside Attractions Christmas Trains adventure. Today the Christmas tree is being decorated. But something in front of the reflecting pond caught our eye. There was a wall of something, and a lot of media and cameras about. So we walked over and saw boxes of beautiful flowers. There were people milling about. Two women approached us and asked us to check out the plaque, then do what we thought we should. One in particular asked if I would mind to be interviewed - but I declined. So we went over and read the plaque on this beautiful November morning and it was from Teleflora. It was an invitation to take a bouquet of Christmas flowers and give it to someone with the idea of watching the wall disappear. I have a feeling there would be a message left behind when all the bouquets were removed. So I gave my bouquet to my husband - not to tear down any wall - but because I love him! So you could say I was participating in the #loveoutloud campaign. On the way home we ran in to someone who lives in our building and told her to check out the flowers. She heard about it on Instagram and was heading in that direction. It was another way to attract attention - in a very nice way. 
















Tuesday, November 28, 2017

US Botanic Garden Christmas Trains and Roadside Attractions

Yesterday on our morning walk we watched the Capitol Christmas Tree arrive from Montana. Because it was just 10 AM, we thought we would check out the Christmas trains at the US Botanic Garden before the lines started. All weekend the crowd wrapped at least several blocks long waiting to see the usually fun exhibit. This year's theme is roadside attractions. I think we were the first few to arrive and it was strange not to be behind a huge number of people. So we had a lot of time to meander about and take in the sights. We have seen all the states except Alaska and Hawaii, and I could not account for many of the featured places! I do remember the Rock City Barn in Tennessee and signs for the Corn Palace in South Dakota. We were on Route 66 last year, and we may have seen Paul Bunyan and Babe many years ago. My husband and I love road trips and all these images are nostalgic - whether we've seen them or not. I think we need to visit again and really scrutinize all the offerings. Of course the trains are always the showstoppers, and the tiny hidden places for the little people are so cute. We also need to explore the rest of the garden as a lot of the Christmas decorations weren't even up yet. This has to be one of our favorite places in our neighborhood. We are never disappointed when we visit.

















































Monday, November 27, 2017

Capitol Christmas Tree from Montana

The timing could not have been better. As we were on our morning walk today, the huge flatbed truck was just pulling in to the Capitol grounds carrying on it the huge Christmas tree hauled all the way from Montana. Right behind it was another large truck carrying the humongous star that would eventually be placed on the top of the tree. You would have thought a grand motorcade was arriving based on the number of police cars and security presence. In June we took a cross country car trip to the northern Pacific states and back - one of which included Montana. So this year we felt like we could have seen this lovely tree somewhere out there in the big country. It actually came from Kootenai National Forest. Rather than wait around for the big speech, we ran in to the botanic garden to see the trains, walked to the Smithsonian Castle, and stopped back by the Capitol to see the tree being lifted from the truck and moved by a crane to the spot that it would rest for the next few weeks. It was a simply gorgeous day for the event. Last year the park rangers were distributing branches from the tree - no luck this time around. You never know what you'll run in to when you walk the Mall every day. This was a nice surprise.

 

















Sunday, November 26, 2017

Cabernet or Chardonnay?

We have been drinking red wine for the longest time. I have to say I never really cared for it so much. I would get Zinfandel once in a while. But my husband preferred burgundy, then Cabernet, now Shiraz and merlot. And he doesn't like wine that is chilled. So our daily dose is a tiny bit of some kind of red - so much so that when we go out for dinner we order one wine glass between the two of us. But when we have guests for dinner, not everyone likes red wine. So we had a bottle of Chardonnay for my sister for Thanksgiving dinner because she says white wine doesn't bother her like red wine does. I also have a cousin who swears that red wine stirs up her allergies. I have to admit that I tend to sneeze after I have red wine. So now we have part of a bottle of white wine left to finish. My husband still wants his red wine and I am now finishing up the white. And I have to admit that I like the Chardonnay more. I am sure I will go back to the red wine once this bottle is consumed. It is hard to change a habit - even if it's a tiny one. 









Saturday, November 25, 2017

Pohick Bay Regional Park

It seems we have been spending a lot of time in the woods lately. Last weekend we were visiting family in Virginia and walked in several places surrounded by trees and rivers. A few weeks back we drove to Mason Neck Park in search of eagles - no luck! Since the fall leaves are almost gone, today we decided to try out Pohick Bay Regional Park a few miles past Mount Vernon before there was nothing left. It's obviously late in the season because they don't charge an entry fee at the gate. There were plenty of boats that were launched already, but the area itself was rather quiet. One can only imagine how busy it gets in the heat of summer as there is a water park and plenty of venues for outdoor grilling and picnics that all require reservations. The paddle boats were all lined up, put away for the season. There was a giant playground for the kids. This is a very family friendly out doorsy place. It occurred to both of us that neither my husband nor I are the camping, picnicking, fishing, and  boating types. Both of us slipped on the carpet of leaves that were covering the walking path. It's nice to know these parks are around for an occasional visit. We do like hiking in the urban concrete jungle, and still prefer our little patio with modern conveniences nearby. I am positive we are probably missing out on something. It's hard to believe we see more wildlife in our own neighborhood.