Pizza and Planes at Gravelly Point

We have not been to Old Town Alexandria since this uncomfortable heat wave hit at least two weeks ago. We have been taking our morning walk in the neighborhood park along the path that is covered in shade by the trees above. We thought this morning would be cooler - but it actually wasn’t. So we took a ride anyway - but more importantly to order from Vaso’s Kitchen. It’s a place we used to frequent when we lived on Capitol Hill. Now we always order pick up pizza, spanakopita, and chicken kabob after we walk along the Potomac River waterfront. Then we drive over to gravelly point and have a sort of picnic. This place is located right next to Reagan airport. Even though it was quite hot, we survived sitting in the car with the windows rolled down. We each had two pieces of pizza. All the while the planes are taking off above our head. On the way out you always know where you are because the Washington Monument guides you along the George Washington Memorial Parkway toward home. It was nice to get a break from our routine at home and take in the sights - and have pizza for lunch. 

Gravelly Point Picnic

It was a beautiful day and it may just become a habit. We decided a ride to Vaso’s Kitchen in Alexandria would be a great idea to pick up dinner. But we would also order a small Greek pizza to take on a “picnic” at Gravelly Point on our way home. And that’s just what we did. Now we didn’t have to think about what’s for dinner and would get a chance to stop and watch the airplanes take off from Reagan airport, along the Potomac River. We brought along our soda and napkins and enjoyed the afternoon treat inside the car in the parking lot facing the airport. The pizza was gone in short order, but we stayed a while to observe the aircraft. The place is always busy with bike riders and walkers, fishing people, boaters and picnickers. And of course the pigeons that would take off and fly around every time a plane flew over. It’s a pleasant enough spot to hang out and this is the second time in as many months. The car windows were open, the breeze came through, we ate pizza, and looked around. Across the Potomac River you can see the Capitol building - where we lived for thirteen years on Capitol Hill. When we drove back to northern Virginia we passed by the Washington monument like we have done so many times before. It was a very pleasant afternoon. It just doesn’t take much anymore. 

VE Day Flyover the Mall in DC

My colleague at work told me about it yesterday. There was to be a big flyover the Mall today to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day with many vintage aircraft from WWII. So I checked out the flight path and convinced my husband it worth be worth walking over to see the skies above from a great vantage point. I'm really sorry we didn't walk down to the WWII memorial because the crowds were there, but all along Independence Avenue and on every rooftop there were bystanders waiting for the action. We decided to stop and sit on a bench under the shade in Bartholdi Park. At the appointed time, they started showing up in groups of 1 to 6 or more. Unfortunately, the path was much more to the south than we and the crowd thought. So people moved over to get better views of the airplanes heading east and then veering south to head on to Virginia. We started walking back home and realized the best view for us would have been right on our patio looking straight up. One can only imagine what went on in the minds of those who actually flew those aircraft in the forties. My dad was on a destroyer escort during WWII and he never really talked about it, but he kept some great scrapbooks with very telling photos. Being in the engine room on a ship in the middle of a battle could not have been pleasant to say the least. And so it was, seventy years later, a lot of folks paid respects to what went on then. These are the times I really like living in DC.