Run for the Roses!

The Kentucky Derby, the famous horse race which is also known as the 'Run for the Roses', is run on Saturday 2 May.

The Women's Club is running a BBQ event that day at Reston Golf Club, culminating with viewing the race on TV.

As I am not going to be there, I thought that I would make and donate some table decorations.

After a trip to the Bargain Loft for a series of vases and bunches of assorted artificial flowers, the decorations are done.

The great thing is, they all fit into one sturdy box ready for delivery to the Event Organiser before I travel home to the UK on Monday...

Freight Traaaaaaaaaaaaaain

When we visited Harper's Ferry on Saturday we saw a number of freight trains passing through.

We saw the first one when we were walking across the bridge, it was on an adjacent line and heading for a tunnel which was built in 1893 and widened in 1931.

Like many of the freight trains we have seen here, it was very long indeed, taking around 3 minutes to pass us, travelling at about 15 miles an hour, David calculated that it was about 3/4 mile long!  

It finally disappeared into the tunnel.

We walked to the railway station - a refurbished building dating to 1893.  (The above picture thanks to Wikipedia)

During the week there is a commuter service from here into Washington Union Station but at the weekend it is just the very long freight trains passing through.

This final picture was taken just as a huge extra-height train was coming into the station.  For some reason I decided to video it but, you will be glad to know, I can't attach video to the blog!

Trees in Bloom

This lovely cherry blossom is in a garden just along the road (or it was, after this evening's thunderstorms it may not look so good..,)

This morning I photographed these rather lovely cones..

..and presumably these are the flowers which will form the next crop of cones..

On Saturday in Harper's Ferry, I photographed some dark pink blossom..

This seemed to be cherry blossom too.

The inappropriately named red bud trees (actually pink to purple) are now coming into flower in gardens and on roadsides.  They are very pretty trees.  The blossom comes before the leaves and grows directly out of the branches and twigs.

Bluebell Woods?

On the shuttle bus from the Visitor Centre into Harper's Ferry yesterday we could see lovely fresh green woodland with a carpet of blue beneath.

Closer inspection revealed that although the flowers were blue and bell shaped they were not bluebells as such.

They had a very different leaf and different shape.

We also saw from the bus that there was some interesting wildlife in a disused and dilapidated section of canal alongside the river..

Impossible to see in this picture but there were several different types of turtle in the murky water..

This is a Snapping Turtle - quite large - up to 2ft from tip of tail to nose.  Most of the turtles we have seen don't have large tails like this and it was a very ridged and dragon-like tail.

The other turtles that we saw - there were quite a few - included a Painted Turtle which was much smaller .. Maybe 8 or 9 inches long..

.. and an Eastern Box Turtle.. Up to about a foot long.

They seemed to be enjoying the slow bake in the sunshine.

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

Today was sunny and warm and we headed for Harper's Ferry National Park which is on the border of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.  The state borders are marked by rivers..

Harper's Ferry sits at the confluence of the Potomac (which divides Maryland and Virginia) and the Shenandoah (which divides Virginia and West Virginia).  

The little town - which was strategically important during the Civil War as it held the United States Armoury and was very well connected by canal, rail and road, is preserved as a living museum.

In the general store there were special exhibits showing how President Lincoln was mourned in the town after his assassination in Washington DC, 150 years ago this week..

The general store was very interesting.,

Now that it is warmer, the trees are 'greening up' very quickly.

This beautiful dogwood was in the grounds of the church..

Blue Velvet

Yesterday I went to the monthly Women's Club meeting.  There was a presentation for those who have run activities (trips, book clubs, canasta, bridge etc) through the year and a special 'Blue Velvet' cake which was even more blue than it looks in the above photo.  It had been made by a member of the club and I confess it did remind me of those packet mix cakes from the supermarket - how many packets do you think??

There were also some deviled eggs, artfully dyed to a selection of pastel colours...

Tufted Titmouse in Spring

The tufted titmouse is a frequent visitor to the feeders and is usually quiet and unassuming.  However, now that the nesting season is here he is spending a lot of time 'displaying' and looking at his reflection in the window.

He opens and closes his beak slowly and at the same time beats his wings..

He reminds me so much of a traditional wooden cuckoo clock with the wooden bird popping out on the hour..