Ugh, it’s been over a month since I posted anything about walks. Not that I haven’t been out on the trail now and then; it just isn’t very much fun due to an injury I incurred late last December. Since an initial visit to the doctor to confirm the situation, I’ve been biding time, waiting over seven weeks for an opening on the calendar for corrective surgery, which will finally take place next week. Those surgeons are pretty busy people, so if you aren’t RG3 you have to get in line.

In the meantime I’ve only managed to host two organized events, one to Old Town Alexandria on short notice, and one last weekend from Jones Point to Dyke Marsh along the Mount Vernon Trail. It’s pretty hard to play tour guide if you’re having trouble setting a pace! The rest of the time I’ve been going to one of my local favorites, Kingstowne Lake, for short walks to maintain at least some flexibility. Once I come out of the repair shop, so to speak, I’ll really be in slow motion for a couple of weeks.

Here’s a couple of Kingstown Lake residents: a blue jay in a tolerant mood (they can be aggressively territorial when nesting); and a tufted duck, an accidental to the area that I haven’t seen before. It’s apparent from these shots that my handy little Canon ELPH 300 HS is hopelessly out of its element for birding…