…and couldn’t finish!!!!
Yuck! That’s how much I HATE snakes, doesn’t matter how big or little.
It was a gorgeous Saturday (about time) and David and I started the lawn raking. We did all of the back yard and started the side. And that’s where I saw it and yelled for David. So he finished the area by the wall and we said that’s enough and let’s go for a drive on this gorgeous day.
Besides this office boy had a few blisters… He’s not used to manual labor anymore!
Goes well with my mood these days. Just rain and dreary. I feel numb. Just tired and no ambition so I need to really push myself. I haven’t felt like blogging at all which is unusual for me but I wouldn’t know what to say.
It’s been cold and raining a lot, but with the Spring rain, comes a washing, a newness and refreshment. Snow is almost gone. It’s completely gone from my front lawn and very little in the back. The rain washes the cars that are so dirty this time of year. And with the rain and a few days of warm temperatures and sunshine comes Spring…flowers, and birds, nests in trees…newness! Oh I want to be in the garden!!!! Lots to do this year to get our beautiful lawn back from the few years we were away.
Enjoy your day! It’s the start of the weekend.
David’s back to work this morning and as soon as I get my self organized and a few things done this week ( kitchen restocked with food, house cleaned and spend QUALITY time with Abby) I NEED to do a Spring overhaul.
What that means is…
~ Spring Cleaning…I want to do a thorough deep clean of my home
~ Spring gardening and landscaping planning…get a plan sketched out of what NEEDS to be done when the weather is good ( I have lots of ideas from DC)
~ Spring Detox ( too much coffee and bad food causes dizziness) for ME coming up! ( I have not been well all winter, and this trip to DC even though wonderful, has been the worst it’s been)
LOTS to keep me occupied and busy for the next while I think! 😀 But today…I’m just thinking about what to do… and spending time with my Abby girl!
We are back home in Nova Scotia after our road trip.
Drove down from Woodstock, NB today so not too far to go. Lots of fun and adventures, memories and lots more pics. Just a great time away together.
Now we are home with our kiddos and our Abby girl, who ALWAYS misses us so much. I had to have a little chat with her and reassure her we were home and not going anywhere anytime soon. NOW everything is “Goode” in her world!
James is going to the city tonight for a couple days on a course with the bank, just as we are getting home. So we made sure we were home in time for him to have cupcakes. Oh my crazy kids!!
The weather today for our arrival home was lovely, 20 degrees! The snow isn’t gone yet, but it has gone down considerably. We can actually see grass and MUD in places. BUT HONESTLY, it’s the middle of April so it’s gonna happen soon. It HAS to, because well it’s Spring!!!!
So, back to normal every day…Now I have to be content until Summer Vacay in July. Hmm? What to do in the meantime? ( PS I added a few more pics to the Blossoms post)
We left Washington yesterday mid morning while every one was at the Cherry Blossom Parade and Sakura Matsuri. We were gonna stay, we even arranged our accommodations to do it, but the amount of people in DC this weekend is unbelievable. The Cherry Blossom Festival the BIGGEST event of the year according to one of the Big Bus operators and since it is the last weekend and the blossoms are finally out and so beautiful, all of USA are in DC for the event. 😀
So we decided to go early instead of trying to get out of the Tidal Basin area after the parade. We actually made a quick stop at Georgetown Cupcake ( well we had to wait in the long line, there’s ALWAYS a line)
and then we were gonna spend a few hours at the Zoo but all the Zoo parking lots were filled. So we got a car wash, stopped for some sushi to go, and headed out of DC.
Lots and lots of traffic on the I-95 as we traveled as far as White Plains, New York. David & I both enjoy road trips, although he does all the driving, I do the navigating and I take the pics!! lol We seriously love exploring and stopping and seeing new things. WE had some amazing ribs for dinner in a new restaurant The Firehouse Grill, yum!!
Today we left New York early and kept going North stopping along the way and made sure to stop in Kittery at the Outlets! Kittery Trading Post and the Coach Outlet. Our sweet future daughter in law was looking for a new Spring purse and so we HAD to stop at coach! If you know me, you know I LOVE purses and a good sale. So, blame it on Kristina but I came out with two bags one for me and one for her!! haha
No issues at the border, We only bought 2 purses and cupcakes ( and David got a T-shirt)
Cruising right along we could have went on home, we were making good time ( David likes the straight Maine interstates) but we decided to spend one more night…. in Woodstock, New Brunswick. We’re back in Canada, back to COLD and SNOW!
I love them! The blossoms are so beautiful! Beautiful… that it prompted a road trip to DC to the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Every spring, nearly 3,700 Cherry Blossom trees lining Washington DC’s Tidal Basin burst into color in a beautiful display of floral fireworks! The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual tradition that showcases the beautiful gift of 3,000 cherry trees that the city of Tokyo gave to the US nation’s capital. Most of the trees are Yoshino Cherry.
In 1912, the people of Japan sent 3,020 cherry trees to the United States as a gift of friendship. First Lady Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted the first two cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin. These two original trees are still standing near the John Paul Jones statue at the south end of 17th Street. Workmen planted the remainder of the trees around the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park.
In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or “Sakura,” is an exalted flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a potent symbol equated with the evanescence of human life and epitomizes the transformation of Japanese culture throughout the ages.
For me it represents Spring and new beginnings, memories of China and Asia. I was not disappointed. It is the BEST time to visit Washington, DC in my opinion and our weekend here the blossoms were at their peak, the smell was amazing… so it was perfect week!
Enjoy some of the beautiful shots that we captured at the Cherry Blossom Festival.
There is another area besides the Tidal Basin that has the Yoshino cherry trees…1200 of them. This area is about 10 minutes outside the city in the neighbourhood of Kenwood. We drove there to see the blossoms and beautiful homes!
Those Blossoms!!!!! 😀
Springtime in DC is so lovely! There are so many wonderful things to see and do even if it has been just a little cooler and rainy than normal here. It’s still better than the cold and snow we still have at home.
There are monuments and landmarks and museums, the Whitehouse, Capital Hill, Pentagon, cemeteries, cafes and bakeries, walks in the park…and lots of squirrels and flowers. I think DC is at it’s finest in the Springtime!
What do all these places have in common? Well, they are key areas that come up when you do a search on what to do in Washington and surrounding area. For example:
Arlington~ Arlington is right across the river from the Tidal Basin. It is part of the original “ten miles square” which the US Constitution dedicated as Washington DC, the nation’s capital. Key things to see in Arlington are the Pentagon and the National Cemetery.
Alexandria~ If you’re after old-world charm, Old Town Alexandria is a good bet. From cobblestone streets to historic buildings to quaint shops and very good bars and restaurants, it offers a slightly less frantic (and often less expensive) alternative to Georgetown.
George Town~Georgetown is famous as a favorite of Washington’s DC’s dinner-party set. It’s a neighborhood with historic row houses, many shopping options, and many excellent dining options. D.C.’s most historic neighborhood, and one of its most trendy, is home to the fabled “Washington Elite,” the city’s première upmarket dining scene, colonial architecture and cobblestone streets, tons of sports bars, upscale and boutique shopping, bucolic Dumbarton Oaks, and Georgetown University.
Foggy Bottom~Foggy Bottom’s location is pretty much ideal for walking to the cherry blossoms and the rest of the National Mall area. It’s a buzzing neighborhood with a mix of residential and work blocks. There’s a lot going on around this area with George Washington University, the State Department, and a bunch of other government departments based in the area.
Dupont Circle~probably the number one contender for D.C.’s trendiest neighborhood, Dupont Circle has tons of restaurants, nightclubs, popular watering holes, shopping, most of Embassy Row along Massachusetts Ave AND this is the area we chose to stay.
So…LOTS to see and do in the few short days we are in the area. How do we see it? Even an overview… Well, we do the Hop on Hop off bus tour!! We like to do this in many cities as you’ve seen before in posts. We got a good rate for 48hours which means two days to do this and given the fact that DC is CrAzY for traffic and finding areas to park, especially during Cherry Blossom Festival, we thought it was a good idea. The last two days have been cool too so it was nice to be able to get inside the bus and just ride to warm up.
Washington DC. I’ve been researching this winter on great locations in the Springtime and Washington, DC kept coming up. There is a reason… it is notably a beautiful place. Such a beautiful place in Spring.
And this is why… Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival and my WHOLE reason for wanting to go to DC. I told you to stay tuned for my plan about the blossoms. This was it!
So besides making sure we see the festival highlights and beautiful trees ( more about that in a later post) we of course had to stop by the White House first thing and say “Hello” to the President. Well, you know…it’s the polite thing to do!
He was actually home at the White House. Sometimes he is away and traveling but he was at home and there was lots happening in the streets around his “home” areas blocked off and we had to walk the “long” way around. It was a lot of fun and kinda exciting.
So now that we said “Hello”, it’s time to explore this fine city!
So yesterday we started driving South. We went to Woodstock and went over to Houlton and hopped on the I-95 Southbound.
We drove ALL day to Scarborough, Maine ( just below Portland) and today we got a VERY early start and drove all day too!! Two days of ALL DAY DRIVING!!!! On the I-95, 495, 290, 90, 84, 684, Expressways, Turnpikes, and back on I-95. ( to bypass some major city centre) Now that’s enough. I think we’ve gone far enough South for this road trip. It’s far enough that there is NO SNOW in sight! With all the driving it was nice to have some tasty snacks from my friend 😛 ( thanks Jode)
Our final destination… Washington, DC!! The Goodes go to Washington! We’ve been here before when the kids were little but Washington in the Spring sounded really nice.
We’re at The Churchill on Embassy Row for the next 5 days/4 nights. It’s a quaint hotel with Southern charm. It really and truly feels like Spring here!! Ahh…Let the adventure in Washington begin!!!
Adventure For Two 