Sunday, the day before Labor Day, Bill and I cycled to Silver Spring, MD, by way of Georgetown and Bethesda where we stopped for lunch at a delightful sidewalk cafe. Sadly, the Georgetown Branch Trail connecting Bethesda and Silver Spring closed the day after we rode it in preparation for the Purple Line of the Metro to be built. It will be closed for 5 years and re-routed but not through the shady woods but alone city streets and that's far less than ideal.
We got home just in time to grab a bite before heading to the Capitol for the final concert of the season by the National Symphony Orchestra. What a treat and with very patriotic overtures. That was definitely not an event to be missed.
Labor Day provided a great day of cycling orchestrated and led for Bill and me by our Bike Friday friend, Charmaine. I thought I’d cycled the entire Anacostia Trail but she took us to the obscured part that I didn’t see as well as a portion of the trail that she takes on her commute to work. A word about this lady who’s a dynamo on a bicycle. She commutes RT 15 miles a day, rain, shine, sleet, or snow not greater than 3” deep. She takes her bike to all parts of the globe to cycle—alone or with a group. She doesn’t care as long as she gets to ride and enjoy the solitude of nature.
We got home just in time to grab a bite before heading to the Capitol for the final concert of the season by the National Symphony Orchestra. What a treat and with very patriotic overtures. That was definitely not an event to be missed.
Labor Day provided a great day of cycling orchestrated and led for Bill and me by our Bike Friday friend, Charmaine. I thought I’d cycled the entire Anacostia Trail but she took us to the obscured part that I didn’t see as well as a portion of the trail that she takes on her commute to work. A word about this lady who’s a dynamo on a bicycle. She commutes RT 15 miles a day, rain, shine, sleet, or snow not greater than 3” deep. She takes her bike to all parts of the globe to cycle—alone or with a group. She doesn’t care as long as she gets to ride and enjoy the solitude of nature.
This was our 2nd day of cycling (50 miles within a period of 36 hours) and being unaccustomed to that distance, Charmaine probably thought she was leading a bike ride from the Old Folks’ Home but she was very patient with us—me, far more than Bill. He did a much better job of “keeping up”. We stopped along the Metropolitan Branch Trail for lunch at a sidewalk cafe. We were all in need of “fuel” at that point. It’s on the same patio as a bike shop who’ll repair while you eat or enjoy a cup of java for a caffeine boost. I love this city! Are you weary of my saying that?
As we passed REI I heard it calling my name so we made a stop there for some much needed bike accessories to make our DC cycling more safe—or less vulnerable to traffic. The building now occupied by REI was originally built as the venue for the Beatles to perform decades ago which accounts for the many Beatles posters inside the store. That’s on Charmaine’s route to work and she was able to watch the construction/re-construction of the building before its Grand Opening just a few months ago.
We cycled pasted this amazing mural that she said was started and completed in just a couple of weeks by 2 artists. The medium they used is impervious to graffiti—it’ll accept it but is easily removed. It’s difficult for you to see all the intricacies of the painting but near the center are the carving artists, the Piccirilli Brothers, hard at work. I love the silver-gray colors used in this beautiful artistic accomplishment.
The above quote is by Frederick Douglass whose estate Bill and I visited last week and the video about his life that I found so moving.
Bill and Laura
Washington, DC
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