D.C. Winter on Hold

The holidays are behind us and IT is here. Well, it's at least on the front porch and about to come in. Without knocking. Always rude and never welcome. Winter in D.C. just stinks. (Quite timely that the political plate is piled high with meat to gnaw on while stuck indoors.)

It's gray, it's wet, it's windy.
It's ugly and makes you want to stay in bed.
Darkness falls by 4:30p and it all just gets in your head.

When a respite presents itself, it's best to pause the whining and revel in the good fortune, soak it up and recharge. The sun broke out, sort of, and the temps climbed near 50F this afternoon and at the last minute I rolled out to snag a quick bike ride.


Very much a smell-the-roses ride on my regular route through a few federal plots in the vicinity.

One split second of excitement tho, courtesy of a squirrel on speed. I was the only traffic of any kind, but he just HAD to get to the other side of the road RIGHT #!%$* NOW!

This psychotic little wonder came out of nowhere. Moving like he was on fire, he covered a good 20yards of open ground on my right in a blurry gray flash. Not one of the typical dart-stop-dart-do-a-180 maneuvers they love to pull. This tweeker was committed, nothing but a straight shot all out was gonna cut it. I had barely moved for the brakes and he had somehow slipped under my front wheel by some invisible margin and was gone down the hill on the other side. I was awed, and, obviously inspired.

Anyway, I brought the camera with me...

Twists and turns leaving the nearby wildlife refuge.

Returning home through the USDA Ag Research Center
Damn. The sun is diving fast.
Not enough light to see the cows and geese scattered in the fields.

Gas is now up to $2.35 for the cheap stuff.