Old Town Alexandria Planters

Sometimes it’s a nice alternative to the National Mall. Last Friday we took a ride to Old Town Alexandria for a morning walk. We usually park by the park by the Potomac River. Then we walk along the riverfront for a bit. The last time we were there it was so hot that nothing looked good - in terms of taking photos. This time was different. Even though it was still hot the scenery just seemed to look better - especially all of the window boxes, planters, and flowers. There were all sorts of variations. The massive homes on the waterfront had two levels of full out flowers. The greenery looked as stunning without the colorful components in other places. Each planter and window box looked more interesting than the next. Even along the brick sidewalks enough space was found for some ornamentation next to the row houses. There were even some multicolored cone flowers in one place that we had never seen before. We always enjoy our walks in Old Town. This time we ordered our favorite Greek food at Vaso’s kitchen and stopped at Gravelly Point to snack on a bit of pizza before driving home. It was a nice outing. It keeps us sane. 

Being Different - There's Always One

There's one in every crowd. Yesterday my husband and I walked about the Mall and admired all the beautiful tulip beds situated in front of Washington DC's iconic landmarks. Upon closer inspection there was an obvious distinctive plant in some of the gardens. In front of the Capitol, a purple tulip poked its head out amid the sea of orange. At the Botanical garden, one set of red petals peeked out among the purple, pink, and white. Amid the yellow blooms was a single pink flower strutting its stuff. And along the Capitol Visitor Center another purple petal was showcased amid the variegated yellow and orange majority. You could say these garden beds represent the city in a way - it seems people who work around here like to distinguish themselves from the crowd - just like the flowers. I'm not sure how many passers by even notice - regardless of the human or plant version.