Outdoor Adventures in the Washington D.C. Area

My extended Thanksgiving weekend had many outdoor adventures with Mick and his family.

A hike around Lake Royal, a neighborhood park, on a bright and sunny day-after Thanksgiving.
We brought the football almost everywhere we went!

Great Falls National Park on the Potomac R.

The Patowmack Canal around the Great Falls was inspired by George Washington
who envisioned a waterway connecting the East Coast to the Ohio River valley.   

The trail high above the river gorge below the Great Falls.

The Washington Monument is the perfect landmark to toss around a football,
as Christina plays catch with Maria and  Anders.

Anders stands tall at the Lincoln Memorial as an airplane lands
at Reagan International,  creating an interesting illusion.  

Part of the WWII Memorial on the capitol mall.

George Washigton slept here;  it's Mt. Vernon afterall!

The view of the Potomac R. from the front porch of the residence at Mt. Vernon,
 as Anders and Maria run just for the joy of it, as they often do where ever they go.

The headwaters of Pohick Creek, an intermittent stream in this area, is locally
 known as Anders Creek,which flows through the Gleason's backyard.
 Many adventures await!  

A game of two square at dusk.

The new house is looking good!

Sunset from the patio on my last evening in Virginia. 
Thanks for all the fun, Gleason family!

The Mick Brick

One of the highlights on my Thanksgiving weekend trip to the Washington D.C. area was the Search for the Mick Brick!  My brother Mick graduated a few years ago from The George Washington University, located in the heart of D.C., just 2 blocks from the White House.  As a reward for graduation, he purchased for a small fee a paver brick with his name carved into it.  He moved away from the D.C. area before he defended his dissertation and so he had never seen his brick but that status was about to change -- the hunt was on!

We arrived at campus and went to the court yard and immediately began to see hundreds and hundreds of named bricks.  Where was Mick's? They were arranged by year of graduation, but Mick was not certain in what year he technically graduated.

 

So many bricks!

George himself stands as sentinel over our noble quest for the Mick Brick!

Eureka! Mick and his Brick!

Christina and Maria make an etching of the hard-earned Brick.

The whole family celebrates The Brick! 
Very fitting since they all helped Mick earn it!

Congratulations, Mick and family!

   

Gleason Turkey Bowl 2011

On Thanksgiving day in Fairfax, Virginia  we played football at Oasis Field in Coffee Stadium, the home of the Robinson Rams, the school that both Christina and Anders attend. It is a 1/2 mile walk from the Gleason home.  Many touchdowns were scored as a result of great passes and impossible catches.

A perfect day for a Turkey Bowl!

Dad huddles up with the girls.

When Maria needed a break from the game, she would run a 1/4 mile lap
on the track that surrounds the football field.

The Gleason family has their game face on!

Maria did a triathlon:  football and  track at the stadium,
and biking to and from the game!

 

When we returned from the game, Anders attention
quickly turned to more important matters.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Fairfax, VA

I spent Thanksgiving in Fairfax, VA with my brother Mick, his wife Mette and their kids Christina, Anders, and Maria.  The day before Thanksgiving we went to Mt. Vernon.  Much to our surprise, the Presidential Turkey that had been pardoned earlier in the day by President Obama at the White House,  had just arrived  at Mt. Vernon by motorcade, to live its life in peace there, or so it thought.   

The Presidential Turkey just happened to be from Minnesota!

Here is the same turkey at Mt. Vernon.  Notice Mette peering over the fence. 
She is really checking out that turkey!!

Thanksgiving dinner, what great company!
Notice the turkey platter between Mick and Mette. 
Thanks President Obama!