This year my birthday fell on a Monday, so it seemed fitting to dedicate the entire preceding weekend to celebration. Saturday was the Greenbelt Blues Festival. I only took one picture, but it was a good one.
That's my dad, with the cigarette.
But it was a fun festival, with good music and a nice time with the family. I got to dance with my sister, see some friends, and my buddy Eric gave me a long-handled branch trimmer.
Sunday was time to get away from everybody with Florian and the dogs.
We found a new hike that is just a short drive away, but since there isn't really a trail, there was no one around and the dogs got to go off leash.
Sometimes I just love a hike where you have to walk through the water,
especially since the dogs just love it
and since you don't have to worry about them overheating or getting dehydrated.
And with those two nice and tired out, there was absolutely no guilt in taking the afternoon away from them to go boating.
Just south of DC and near the Pentagon are a tangle of highways that are impossible to keep straight, but after missing exits and driving in circles a few times we found our way to Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove. This is a nifty little park and marina on the Potomac, a refuge of tranquility in the midst of all that traffic and development.
We had Florian's little inflatable boat with the electric motor,
so it was an adventure any time a big boat, with its big wake, got close to us.
A little bit stressful, but also fun. And it was also kind of fun to look at all those enormous, expensive boats and gloat quietly about how peaceful,
fun, relaxing, and scenic
it is to just go out on our small, inexpensive, easy to set up little dinghy.
I have to say, Florian made a good purchase with that thing.
It barely fits two people but that just makes it more romantic, and it definitely is not dog-friendly but we already decided that boating is not our dogs' strong point.Glad the days are still long enough to fit in both a dog hike and a dog-free boat trip! And a fitting way to celebrate the coming Equinox.
Happy Birthday! Looks like a great way to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteMom has been there numerous times and never knew about the waterway
ReplyDeleteSnorts,
Lily & Edward
Glad you made the most of your birthday weekend. I spent mine, Saturday, doing laundry. I think I need to take Kirsten lessons on doing up a birthday. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, hiking in the streams is so fun. Isn't it amazing how the dogs can do it without slipping? If someone could patent dog pads for shoe soles, they'd make a fortune.
I just told Mike to write down the name of the Johnson Memorial Grove. He'd like to plan a trip to DC and it sounds like a nice place to stop.
Enjoyed the simple pics from Florian's boat. Yep, going simple is awesome. We just picked up our new folding dinghy and hope to try it out soon. I can't wait to learn how to row.
Haha, you write well and have a very good point!
ReplyDelete