Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea)
Water Lily (Nymphaea variety)
Cathy In Front Of Lotus Leaves
Cathy had to work this morning because their software upgrades have to be done outside business hours when no one is working with it. When she was done we drove to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. We didn’t know that their Lotus and Water Lily Festival was going on, so we had to park a few blocks away and it was quite crowded, but we were still glad we went. The flowers were wonderful, although the Lotuses were probably past their peak. Those blooms that there were, however, were lovely. We both took lots of photos and I took some with my 150-600mm zoom, which allowed an interesting perspective. Sadly I forgot to bring my monopod, so I had to hand hold it, which may mean some of the pictures are not good enough to show. At one point I used the branch of a tree as a support, which got a chuckle from a couple of guys who were watching me.
We especially enjoyed the walk out to the boardwalk that goes out from the southwest corner of the gardens to a marsh along the Anacostia River. We saw egrets and I got a few pictures of a pair of ospreys circling overhead. It was quite warm but on the boardwalk there was some shade and a bit of a breeze, which felt very nice.
From the gardens we stopped at three cemeteries. First we went to Fort Lincoln Cemetery, just north of the gardens and outside the District of Columbia in Maryland. Then along North Capitol Street, we went to Soldiers Home Cemetery, one of the country’s oldest national cemeteries, and Rock Creek Cemetery, where my great, great grandparents are buried (as well as their oldest son, my great grandfather’s older brother).
