A Visit to the National Arboretum

Today I visited the National Arboretum in Washington, DC for the first time.
You can buy a handful of special food for 50 cents to feed the koi.  Not only
were they beautiful, they were very hungry too!

There were many bonsai on display, all amazing, but this azalea bonsai in bloom really stood out as a sign of spring on a cold, rainy day.

Due to the windy weather and impending rainstorm, we headed out after seeing the bonsai trees.  I'd love to go back to explore more of the arboretum on a sunny day.  I'd even like to ride the tram to hear the history.

The Bradford Pears on 695.

The pear trees are in bloom along the beltway.

View of Courtyard 2011

I'm not sure how much the courtyard outside of the classroom where
I teach will change during the renovation, but next year I will no longer
be able to see the courtyard from my new classroom.  I will miss the
magnolia tree and the stone walls, so I painted this little painting.
My new view on hall duty will be a cinder block wall?  I hope the view
from the inside of my new classroom will be of the cool neighborhood behind
our school because I've always wanted to paint it during the fall.

Cap'n Pepper and Old Salty

Cap'n Pepper and Old Salty looked pretty in the
morning sun today.

So did the view of shadows in the backyard.

The Old Bells.

Another thing I will miss after the renovation are
the old bells and fixtures around the school.  They
remind me of robots.

Ribbit, Ribbit, Hop, Hop, Hop.

I made a frog themed scarf for my aunt today.  She and
my uncle rescue frogs each year as they hop across
the road from their pond to the woods on the other side.
They catch them in buckets and save them from getting
run over by traffic.

Jerusalem Mill, Jericho Road Covered Bridge and Vinegar Hill Road

Jerusalem in Maryland.

Just past Jerusalem Mill on Jericho Road.

Approaching the Jericho Road covered bridge.

Jericho Road covered bridge.

Vinegar Hill Road bridge over Little Gunpowder Falls.

The Phone Booth.

I'll miss the phone booth after the renovation.
Sure, it hasn't had a phone in it for years, but
I will always think of phone booths as
magical.  To remember a time when a phone
call was a private event which required
a quiet space in which to talk is almost a
whimsical idea.  Where would Superman go to
change if he needed to save the day?

Things I will miss after the renovation.

The high school where I teach is under renovation and there are
many things I will be sad to see go.  I will miss my classroom's
very serious art sink (made of stone?) with a built in soap dish and
two basins.