Blue Skies and Big Buds

After two days of howling winds we decided to walk yesterday afternoon to the Sackler Museum for a program. Unfortunately the speaker didn’t arrive because of the storm so the program was canceled - but no one bothered to tell us! Around the Sackler Gallery the buds on the trees are about to burst open. Last year they did bloom early only to be frozen out by an ice storm the following week. So this morning when we ambled down in the same direction, we wondered if any of the buds made any headway. Not quite! But some of the little bulb flowers are really taking shape - especially in the beds that face the south. You could see some wind damage along the way - several lamp post lanterns were just hanging on tilted to the side. There was a large tree on the mall that lost a huge branch. But the skies were a beautiful blue and this is my husband’s favorite time of year. Every day brings more color and growth. In the US Botanuc Garden the daffodil beds were about to burst. So this will probably be the week for major transformation. Hopefully the ice will stay away this year. 

Supreme Court Garden

For as long as I can remember, there has been construction going on around the Supreme Court - in particular on both the North and South sides, and the just completed front facade. I'm sure it has a lot to do with general wear and tear as well as security, but the end result on the South side is a wonderful garden. And the same is planned on the North side, but because it faces Constitution Avenue, a lot more security barricades are being constructed. When we took a walk on this brilliantly sunny day, it was the first time the wooden walls that surrounded the construction area were finally gone. So we strolled through the beautifully landscaped area, complete with marble benches to sit and contemplate... though today they were a tad cold! The gardens around Capitol Hill are always enchanting as anything that ever wanted to grow can be grown here. But with that comes allergies, and every time we walk outside, my husband gets to enjoy the scenery, but unfortunately can't easily forget it either. This season has been extraordinarily awful on allergy sufferers. But I can't say we can blame it completely on DC. It started in Milwaukee, and keeps getting worse here. But it sure is pretty!

The Half and Half Skies Over Washington DC

It's been a weird past eight days since the government shutdown. Both my husband and I have been ill with a cold/flu thing that keeps dragging on since it started those same eight days ago. We've also been cooped up in the house dealing with leaky plumbing issues beyond our control. So today we just had to get out of the house for a breath of fresh air and to get gas for the car. On our way to Alexandria across the bridge the sky seemed to be divided in half.  It was filled on the top with white cloud cover that was divided almost with a straight edge ruler that turned to a pretty blue below. We've been having such outstanding weather the past few days, except for yesterday when the downpour came. So now it's a little bit of both and a sign that the season is changing.