When school is closed because of snow it seems wrong to venture far from your own warm house unless it's to shovel, sled, or walk the dog. But this morning our district surprised everyone by canceling school in anticipation of weather that never materialized. Sure, there was some icy snow to scrape, and the day was raw and gray, and a few slick spots warranted a bit of caution when walking or driving, but the 2-hour delay they originally scheduled probably would have taken care of those conditions.
Oh, I'm not complaining-- I spent the morning reading and replying to the first slice of life posts of my sixth graders, who were themselves stunned by this turn of events. When it came time to walk the dog, however, I saw no reason to restrict ourselves to the neighborhood, so we bundled her into the car and headed up to a county park that has been on my list of places to visit for a while.
Fort Bennett Palisades are located on a steep spit of land between some 1.5 million dollar townhomes and the Potomac River. A narrow trail starts near a Civil War era spring house and winds into a mature growth hardwood forest, past two stone driveway pillars, which are the only remains of Bay Eva, an actual castle built in 1950 and demolished less than 50 years later.
Today the path was muddy and the sound of the traffic on the GW Parkway was a bit jarring, but our dog, Lucy, loved it. Her nose was either on the ground or in the air, scenting all the wildlife that must have been just out of sight. Within sight, though, was the thing I had hoped to see. A bald eagles' nest balanced in the top crook of a tall sycamore, right between the parkway and the river, and on the branch beside it?
One of its occupants surveyed her dominion, looking for all the world like the national bird she is.
Oh, I'm not complaining-- I spent the morning reading and replying to the first slice of life posts of my sixth graders, who were themselves stunned by this turn of events. When it came time to walk the dog, however, I saw no reason to restrict ourselves to the neighborhood, so we bundled her into the car and headed up to a county park that has been on my list of places to visit for a while.
Fort Bennett Palisades are located on a steep spit of land between some 1.5 million dollar townhomes and the Potomac River. A narrow trail starts near a Civil War era spring house and winds into a mature growth hardwood forest, past two stone driveway pillars, which are the only remains of Bay Eva, an actual castle built in 1950 and demolished less than 50 years later.
Today the path was muddy and the sound of the traffic on the GW Parkway was a bit jarring, but our dog, Lucy, loved it. Her nose was either on the ground or in the air, scenting all the wildlife that must have been just out of sight. Within sight, though, was the thing I had hoped to see. A bald eagles' nest balanced in the top crook of a tall sycamore, right between the parkway and the river, and on the branch beside it?
One of its occupants surveyed her dominion, looking for all the world like the national bird she is.
I can feel you on your journey! There is nothing quite like a 2 hour delay!
ReplyDeleteLove the snow days- they bring such a feeling of- YES I can now do what I want to do today !!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a place I need to check out!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a beautiful and unexpected walk. I love those.
ReplyDeleteLove days like this. We have had a few days called only to be 50 and sunny!
ReplyDelete