National Arboretum

Yes, yes, I know, we go here all the time. This week we went with MEME, walked through Fern Valley. Q5 started kind of cranky, but did snap out of it. Here is grouchy Q5. I'm not sure what that really was about.






But C7 accommodated our quest for photo-ops




We tried to walk the whole way around, but kept getting distracted by things. Like our favorite spot, which for the girls was the same exact place.




After Q5 heard that this was C7s favorite spot, she made it her favorite spot.




As you walk the fern trail you go over a lot of bridges





Sometimes more than once. They ran this bridge at least twice, maybe three times.



By the long bridges you can take a detour off to the side onto the praire loop. We saw tons of black-eyed susans, asters, and other flowers that the butterflies were loving.





And from that spot we could see the National Columns, so we headed that way.





The sun was SHINING and the girls ran around a lot, getting hot. MEME and I hung out in the shade of the columns until it was time to walk back to fern valley. Both girls were drooping from the heat, but along the way back I saw what I thought were slug trails until I accidentally crunched something on the path. SNAIL trails! I pointed them out the the girls and C7 proceeded to removed every remaining snail from the path and toss it into the grass.

Back to fern valley and we had to take a break on one of the many benches.





We walked around the rest of fern valley, it was cool and lovely and we stopped at every bench.

There were a lot of mushrooms everywhere, as there are everywhere in the region because of the copious rainfall we've had this last month and a half. Lots of ferns (obviously).





We finished our walk looking for the frogs in the frog pond. Last time we took the walk I remember they were out and croaking away. Not this time. But Q5 was completely happy, as was C7.