Tag Archives: outdoors

Two urban hikes

Posted on May 16, 2014 by John M

Last week the weather forecast for the weekend was for rain both days, all the way until Thursday-ish, when the weather mages started changing their tune. As it turned out, both days turned out to be beautiful, but the evening … Continue reading →

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Sunny days

Posted on May 5, 2014 by John M

This past weekend our hiking group spent two sunny days giving the District of Columbia some loving! Saturday was the early morning visit to the U.S. National Arboretum that I mentioned in my last post, and the sunshine and light … Continue reading →

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Swimmingly

Posted on April 29, 2014 by John M

Yesterday I drove up to Washington DC for a walk in the U.S. National Arboretum to take a peek at how this year’s azaleas are coming along. My conclusion is, swimmingly! Swimmingly in both a figurative and a literal sense … Continue reading →

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Ups and Downs

Posted on April 23, 2014 by John M

Last Saturday I had a trip planned to the Shenandoah National Park (SNP), a repeat of the combined hikes at Dark Hollow Falls and Hawksbill we did last June. Since this was to be the first trip to SNP in 2014, … Continue reading →

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A last look at the falling blossoms

Posted on April 15, 2014 by John M

Last Sunday I scheduled a 4-mile walk on the National Mall for the last day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, to see the long-anticipated blossoms at their fullest bloom beginning  to fall in flurries, like light pink petals of snow floating on the … Continue reading →

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Snooping around

Posted on March 28, 2014 by John M

Yesterday I took a lunchtime stroll around the National Mall to get a look at the preparations for the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. It’s always more fun walking with friends, so a half-dozen folks joined me in the Enid A. Haupt … Continue reading →

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Walking, hiking, and pole-vaulting

Posted on March 24, 2014 by John M

You know, I’ve been active with a local walking group since 2009, started organizing events for the group a couple years ago, and finally took over the group (i.e., paying the bills) last Fall. Over time, the group redefined itself into … Continue reading →

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Now that’s more like it!

Posted on March 22, 2014 by John M

This morning we went for a hike in Riverbend Park, on the south bank of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia. Our stated intent was to see if any Virginia bluebells had popped up, but also just to enjoy one of the … Continue reading →

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Morning on the marsh

Posted on March 16, 2014 by John M

Saturday was taken up with hikes in a couple of nearby wetland areas, Huntley Meadows and Dyke Marsh. The goal of both visits was to check out the wildlife, so we didn’t set much of a demanding pace. With over 1,500 … Continue reading →

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Why I don’t have a green thumb

Posted on March 13, 2014 by John M

I never seem to be able to do much with my back yard. It’s shady, being adjacent to a vacant, wooded lot that thankfully cannot be developed, and underneath the thin topsoil is marine clay interspersed with stones the size of … Continue reading →

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