A Very Foggy Old Town Alexandria

It does happen every once in a while. A morning fog blanketed the area last week. I wanted to take a walk along the Tidal Basin for a last fall hurrah and brilliant leaves display, but we instead thought a ride in to Old Town Alexandria might be more interesting. Walking along the Potomac River waterfront is always worth while, and could be even more so in these conditions. And, if it’s later in the week we always like to stop at Vaso’s Kitchen to pick up a Greek pizza and have lunch near the airport at Gravelly Point - which we did. We parked in our usual free parking spot at Founders Park and started our walk by all of the ducks and geese and boats. The tall shop has returned to port and is an obvious item. It was eerily silent as we walked. Then it dawned on us that the planes were not able to take off and land at Reagan airport because the visibility was so awful. We oftentimes wondered how people living near the waterfront could stand the incessant sounds of the jets flying overhead. The silence really was deafening! The waterfowl were mulling about and there were a few fishermen here and there. The docks looked almost invisible. We meandered through the quaint neighborhood on the way back searching out Thanksgiving decorations. When we returned to the car the sun was finally trying to break through. It gave a mystical effect on the river and surrounding area. We always love visiting Old Town. It almost feels like home. 

A Dreary Day in the Neighborhood

We are spoiled. With temps in the seventies this past weekend who would have thought we lived in Virginia - it felt more like Florida in the winter. So when it becomes rainy, cloudy, drizzly, and foggy - it’s more of an impact. Although I have to say it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is - I’m not a rainy day person. Remember the Carpenters song “Rainy Days and Mondays” always get me down? Well, that’s the truth. Every time I hear the PBS Masterpiece theme song it gets me upset because that meant the next day was a Monday and a workday after a nice weekend. I definitely need sunshine. So rather than walk in the park this morning we drove over to the mall to get in our usual exercise. We haven’t been there since the Christmas decorations all came down and it seemed to be busier than usual. On the way back things looked as dreary as when we left - but at least I didn’t need to be outside working, or taking the metro, or anything else. We at least can do whatever we want when we want. It’s something I really appreciate after all the years of driving and walking in inclement weather - something everyone does. So I’ll continue to be thankful for what we have - especially on a rainy, cloudy, foggy, drizzly winter day. 

Foggy and Silent Sunday on Capitol Hill

Sundays are usually a lot quieter than during the rest of the week in our Capitol Hill neighborhood. But today was eerily so. Maybe because the fog is very thick. The statue of freedom is almost invisible atop the dome this morning. The flags are all at half staff. The Capitol building is being prepared for the head of state funeral of President George HW Bush. The barricades are going up around the perimeter. The last funeral we attended at the Capitol rotunda was for President Ford when we first moved to DC twelve years ago. It was cold then too. We went to pay our respects in the late evening - I remember standing in a line that circled the Capitol building. As we passed by the Supreme Court and the Senate Office Buildings the streets were still empty. Then we headed towards Union Station. The large Christmas wreaths were in place at the front entrance. The large lighted Christmas tree was where it was last year and the many years before that. The train set was placed in the middle of the main lobby with little traffic around it. Somehow it just didn’t feel quite right to be celebrating. When we headed back home we kept hearing what sounded like cannon fire every once in awhile - a salute prep for the days ahead? When you live in the Capitol city you can’t avoid the news and events of the day but you can always decide which ones are worth taking note of and going to. I don’t think we will miss this one.