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Jadin’s braces are off. Photos are NOT permitted.
And it’s 48 years since this took place:
(FILE PHOTO) An Apollo 11 astronaut’s footprint in the lunar soil, photographed by a 70 mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 lunar surface extravehicular activity. Neil Armstrong stepped into history July 20, 1969 by leaving the first human footprint on the surface of the moon. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers)
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Jacquela, Jadin and Steven traveled to Los Angeles for the wedding of Jacquela’s cousin Karen. One of the guests borrowed Steven’s camera to shoot photos of the Leons. Google offered up an animation.
Adobe stopped cold outside the kitchen side door. Normally, she pulls hard to get to the mulch bed for her morning ablutions. She lowered her head. Steven followed the line from Adobe’s nose. Tucked behind the hose reel box was a new fawn.
We live in deer country. There’s the morning commute, when the herd walks the streets grousing for breakfast. And the evening commute, looking for dinner. The herd sometimes runs through for lunch.
Apparently, the doe considers you a safe place to park her fawn if she leaves the fawn by itself at your house.
It’s yet another business trip. However, Steven timed the trip to include an extra day in Washington, DC, to go bicycling with Hilary, older sister of Jadin’s friend Kara, daughter of Michelle, now residing and working just outside the enemy-occupied federal district.
Steven rented a bike from Conte’s Bike Shop in Arlington, VA., which delivered extraordinary service — from the first email query, to the phone conversation where Charles Conte asked questions about the ride we were planning, to the bike that Steven currently rides, to size and comfort and equipment — before anyone talked pricing. And … his pricing was ride in line with what other stores charge. Then, despite a busy store Saturday afternoon, Stephan rolled out the rental wheels and spent about an hour fitting the bike to Steven, to make it comfortable, efficient. Along the way, Hilary learned a bit about how to fit her new Fuji, purchased used on Craig’s List — along with lessons about pedals, shoes, safety equipment, pumps, wrenches … Charles and his team run a super store and deliver extraordinary service.
We kicked out of the hotel driveway in Arlington at 8 am, traveling 18 miles down the Potomac to Mount Vernon. DC was across the river. It was cold — temps in the 50s. We reached the house that George built about 10 am, taking our time to sightsee and snack along the route.
The route is mostly flat. We sailed …
Steven and Hilary outside the plant sale at Mount Vernon. We didn’t go in — because the plan was to ride. Steven is NOT proud of his winter weight gain. Hilary is all muscle and stunning.
In one of the parking lots we borrowed a three-way wrench and lowered Hilary’s seat by about an inch. She swung back in to the saddle to meet an entirely different and far more comfortable bike — no stretching to reach the pedals, and reaching past the stem to the handles was no longer stressful.
Hilary and her first mimosa at lunch.
On the way back, we stopped in Alexandria at Virtue Feed & Grain for lunch outdoors. At the table next to us, two other bike riders exchanged contact info with Hilary; they’re looking for more people to ride with. Bikers are friendly people!
18 miles down to Mount Vernon, then 18 back, with that stop for lunch, we opted to cross the bridge for Steven to sightsee. This is when a special day became an extraordinary adventure.
We crossed at Georgetown, carried the bikes down flights of steps to cross the tow path, and into history.
Steven and his winter weight gain in front of part of the Watergate.
A more familiar view of the curved Watergate structure.
We looped around the tidal basin across from the Jefferson Memorial and arrived at the FDR Memorial.
With Fala.
A bronzed line of Americans on a bread line in the Great Depression.
Despair. Hope. Pride.
Listening to a Fireside Chat. The power of radio to transform and inspire.
And then we visited with Martin Luther King.
As we walked our bikes up to the four stone mountains, the Jefferson Memorial is visible through the rock. The two great men stare at each other across the Tidal Basin, at opposite ends of history, slavery and freedom.
From there, we went to see Mr. Jefferson.
And Mister Washington.
Enemy-held territory, as seen from the Washington Monument.
Of all the stone monuments in DC, this is the ONE that resonates most with Steven.
From the steps of the Lincoln Monument, a selfie shot of the reflecting pool and Washington Monument.
Amazon Hilary. Steven’s favorite photo from the day.
Jacquela wants Steven to ride more. So, for his birthday, she gifted him this computer — mapping, route guides, heartbeat monitoring, cadence monitoring, and a lot more.
Personal observation — I am the oldest living male Leon. The generations before me are gone. The generation behind me is beginning to marry, or, in the case of Jadin, the youngest of her generation, navigating through high school. It is odd to be this old, to be not that old, to be me. Give me a sunny day and a bicycle to pedal. Namaste.
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