A Ride in to DC

It’s getting busier every time we go in to town. After over a year of near hibernation, walking on the national mall is no longer a solitary affair. Aside from the construction workers who have consistently been there, the tourists are starting to show up and parking is getting more and more difficult. We no longer have our parking permit - we needed it when we lived on Capitol Hill since we had street parking. Now we have to use the park mobile app to pay for parking - unless we find a spot that allows two hours for free. So we parked by the American Indian museum and walked towards the castle. Aside from the tulips and ducks I took photos of for the weekly 52frames photo challenge, there were other things that got our attention. The gnarly tree roots seemed overwhelming; the scaffolding went up around the Hirshhorn museum and something was afoot there; the little birdhouse was occupied and the feathered friends were busy collecting food and lodging materials; the Washington monument peeked out above the organized tulip garden in front of the castle; the large wasp sculptures reflected in the pond. On the way back towards the Capitol the pigeons looked like tourists as they walked along the sidewalk; there was some green deal policy maker holding court by the Capitol pool; the gardeners were sprucing up the area around the Grant statue; the ramps for the ducklings were already in place with a reminder not to feed them; and there were signs all around that there would be restricted parking due to first amendment activity through May 1. We were running out of time so we had to cut the walk short and retuned to our car. It’s always nice to visit the city. It’s hard to believe we lived there for thirteen years. Everything is so familiar. And that makes it so much easier to navigate.