PHOTOS FROM GEORGETOWN LOOKING ACROSS THE POTOMAC RIVER.

 A few days ago, husband and son visited Georgetown in Washington DC. They took these photos.

They are looking across the Potomac at Rosslyn on the Virginia side. The Key Bridge disappears into the darkness on the right.

The next photo shows the Kennedy Center all lit up. To the left is the Watergate Complex. These are on the Washington DC side of the Potomac.

The same scene a little closer.

One last photo looking towards Rosslyn, with a plane making its way to Ronald Reagan Airport, which isn't very far away down the river.

We haven't been into DC for a long time and are way overdue. We have always enjoyed going to the Smithsonian Museums, walking around the city and along the Potomac. Years ago, when we were first married, we took our bikes into the city, leaving our car at the Pentagon parking lot. We drove across the Memorial Bridge and made our way alongside the Potomac many times, loving all the impressive sights along the way. We changed our routes, sometimes making our way passed the Lincoln Memorial, passed the Washington Monument and up to the Capitol Building. We haven't had bikes for several years now, but we still drive into the city to look around, although not for quite a while.  

One funny memory to me in our bike-riding days, and one I may have mentioned before as my memory is getting shorter and my blog is getting longer. We passed two young marines jogging along the Potomac and without us realizing, started reenacting the tortoise and the hare. We would pass them, and they would pass us in one direction, and then we would pass them again, and they would pass us in the other. Two very friendly and polite young marines who said hello each time, with a smile and a wave at the slowpokes who were by then running out of gas, figuratively speaking. It took us longer getting back to our starting-off point and by the end of our ride, were always very glad to get back to the car.  It was also usually hot and humid when we went out, something that I have never gotten used to even today.  

I am very thankful to my husband and son who took these photos, not only because I enjoyed each and every one of them, but because they brought back some lovely memories.

MASON NECK STATE PARK - PART 2

Heads up for those who are a bit squeamish about such things, I photographed a snake and also the skeletal remains of a fish that I have never seen before but wanted to make a record of.  I have left those photos way down, so that you can enjoy the birds and then move on from my blog if you prefer.  They are below the kayak photos.From the visitor center we turned left and followed the path until we came across a few birds.  I am not sure of this one's ID but I looked up what birds had been seen recently at Mason Neck, and they mentioned the Eastern Wood-Pewee, which you can see here.  What do you think?  It is a lifer for me as I have never seen it before.  I am always thrilled when I can add to my list.

I saw him on a red pylon.

From the pylon he flew to the fence...

only staying for a few seconds...

before he flew away.

There was also a bird house nearby and a flurry of activity.  I enjoyed spending time with a pair of Tree Swallows...

and there were babies in the nest.  You can make out a head, at least the white part of its throat, in the circular entrance.

The parents were very diligent, always leaving one standing guard.

Looks like someone is getting told off in this one.

We watched as they flew back and forth, thoroughly enjoying them.

According to the park's website, the following birds were seen recently at Mason Neck.

Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher

At the bottom of these steps were two information boards.

You can enlarge them if you want to see more clearly.

This is part of what is on the other side.  I neglected to take a photo of the whole sign, but I was more interested in the map in the bottom corner...

Here it is again closer-up.

There was a pond on the right.  It had a lot of green algae growing.  There is a good article if you click on this link with interesting information. 

There were a lot of dragonflies but I had a hard time taking photos.

These were the best I could do.  My hands were not very steady that day.

There were a couple of butterflies.

A black swallowtail and a zebra swallowtail.  

We had been walking along a path right next to the Potomac River.

I liked seeing the old stumps not too far out, still showing signs of life in those new leaves, perhaps ivy growing up the side.

There were kayaks for hire. 

This is where I show you photos of the snake Gregg saw.

And here is the fish skeleton I found.  I had been looking for smaller live fish in the shallows.  I wondered if this was the remains of some type of gar fish.

I took photos of new leaves.

Above are Muscadine and below is Summer Grape.

We found the path that would take us back to our car.

Halfway I saw one last dragonfly resting on an old log...

and that was it for nature shots from the park.  On the way home, I couldn't resist taking one last photo of the clouds. Below the wavy line looks like mountains but they were darker clouds causing this optical illusion.   I have never quite seen that shape before.

That's the end of our Mason Neck State Park trip, at least until we go there again, which I hope isn't too long from now.

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.

CONTINUING OUR WALK ALONG THE POTOMAC RIVER

It was a beautiful day as you can see by the sky.

We are looking at National Harbor across the Potomac River.

We have had a few storms passing through these last few months.  A branch had broken off this tree...

and landed on the old picnic table.

Another photo of one of the pair of ducks included in yesterday's post...

and also the Osprey tending its nest. Gregg took these photos from a different angle showing the bridge in the background.

and a collage of both our photos.  The Osprey was once known as the fish hawk as they live on fish that it catches by snatching them in a shallow dive from the surface of the water.  Fish is their main diet but they also have been known to eat a wide variety of other prey, including birds, reptiles and crustaceans.  Ospreys are one of the world's most widely distributed bird, and can be found through much of North America, Northern Europe and Asia, and around the coast of Australia.  I found these facts and many more at this website.

There is no trail by this part of the river.  We walked along the grass to a marina which we explored for half-an-hour.

Always fun being around boats, and it's been a while since we did this.

We have known people with them.  In fact, when we lived in the area all those years ago, a friend introduced us to a relative who had invited us all for a weekend ride on his boat.  Our friend steered and I will never forget being stopped by the river police because he was driving too fast.  I was wide-eyed when I saw and heard the sirens of that police boat. 

 He was told by the officer that our speed was causing a wake that affected yachts participating in a race some distance away, was given a warning and not a ticket.  Our friend's reasoning was that he wanted to put distance between us and that race.  His heart was in the right place, and that was the first and only time I have been or will ever be stopped on the Potomac for speeding!  

And on we walked along the river where all these memories came flooding back... 

as they seem to do these days.

Reagan National Airport isn't too far away and the plane was coming in to land.

This large building with the high rise was across the river at the National Harbor.  The last time we were there it had not been built.  It is the MGM National Harbor Casino and Resort.  I read that it has 23 stories, 308-rooms and a 135,000-square-foot casino floor, a 3,000-seat theater, seven restaurants, a spa, plus other retain and event spaces, and let's not forget the 4,800-car parking garage. 

Below you can see the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.  We have taken that many times on our trips into Maryland. You can read about it here for more information.  In part it read that it was named for the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), a native of Staunton, Virginia.  While he was president, Wilson reportedly spent an average of two hours a day riding in his automobile to relax.  President Wilson was an advocate of automobile and highway improvements in the United States.  You can read more at the link I provided.

We were now on our way home.  (There is a marsh wildlife preserve nearby but we decided to leave that for a future walk.)  We passed by Mount Vernon and saw the tavern (Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant) we have visited often over the years.  We have lived in this area for 32 years.  You can see one of those visits if you click here.  There is also another link within that post, from yet another visit when a relative was visiting us.  It is lovely inside and the meals have been excellent.  When you go to the gift shop and to the tavern, you don't have to pay for the ticket that allows you to go into George Washington's home, and also the grounds which has a very pretty garden.  We have been there many times when taking relatives and friends over the years, and I daresay we will be taking others on future visits.  But I do enjoy going to the tavern and gift shop, especially when looking for those birthday and Christmas presents.

And that's it for today's post.  I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little more of our area.

Thanks for visiting and take good care of yourselves.