Trees,Trees, Trees...A Walk for/with Megan at the U. S. National Arboretum

Today we took a 5K walk sponsored by the Volksmarch Assn. at the U. S. Arboretum in Washington, DC.  After several days of rain we were ready to get out into the sunlight.  It was a nice day for our hike, except the wind was strong (30 mph) which made it more challenging.

After checking into the visitor's center, we headed out on paved trails through this park.  We had checked in for our trip sheets to guide us through the 5K hike, but ran into trouble.  We missed a turn somewhere and got totally lost.  Instead of a "zig" we must have "zagged."  This forced us into another option.  To measure our distance we used an app on Dave's phone called "Pacer" that measures distance through counting paces, 7311,  which translated to 3.0 mi or close enough to a 5K length.

The autumn colors were on the downward trend for the season, but the trees were still magnificent.  Along the way we ran into a grouping of tall, sandstone columns.  These columns were removed from the U. S. Capitol Building in 1958, during a remodeling period.  Now they stand tall here in the Arboretum.  This facility serves as a research project for the government.  For example, one area was devoted to native trees and plants to study the environmental advantages they provide to us.  On the last leg of our hike we stepped into the National Bonzai Museum to view these unusual, tiny trees. So we concluded our hike from the straight and tall to end with the small, ornamental Bonsais.

 As we walked in the park, we were reminded of a large Maple tree that stands in front of Megan's family home in Binghamton, NY.  This beautiful tree has become the standard background for many family photos recording proms, graduations, confirmations, and numerous other celebrations.  The tree seems to be a part of the family....saying in its own way..."well done..I'm with you."

Previous total  77K
Today's total      5K
Current Total   82K (goal 100K)

A beautiful tree at the Arboretum

The Sandstone columns that originally stood at the Capitol Bldg.

Another stately tree in the park..looks good for kids to climb

At the Bonzai Museum

There's that Maple tree at 48 Dickinson Ave

A short walk with/for Megan, but this time with a cause.......

I responded to a notice in our church bulletin about a "walk and pray" event to highlight the street violence in Baltimore city.  I was directed to go to St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church on Edmondson Ave. to join the event.  About 20-25 participants gathered at this church near the front steps.  The leader, a member of the church and a volunteer for the CeaseFire movement of Baltimore city, greeted us.

We started with prayer and then a reading of a large list of those who had been killed through street violence during the 2018 year.  Last year, 2017, some 342 people were killed on the streets of Baltimore.  Through Oct. 2018,  259 victims had fallen.

We moved on our walk down Edmondson Ave. in Edmonson Village and stopped at a Presbyterian church, meeting some new participants on the walk.  Here we sang and prayed, reciting another long list of names of fallen victims, ages ranging from 13 to 82.  We progressed further on to several other churches on our route, following the same routine.  We were not able to recite the full list of names, as was intended, because of limited time.  We passed through Edmondson Village where, just in this year, 24 persons had been killed, one recently gunned down within 24 hrs. of our arrival.

I'm glad I took some time to walk and pray on this day.  Usually I pick a natural trail and enjoy the peace and beauty of the day outdoors when on my walk with/for Megan.  But I thought I wanted to support this attempt to draw attention to the rampant violence in our city.  I'm pretty sure Megan would have joined in, but I'll let that be up to her review.

Previous  74K
Current      3K 
Total        77K (Goal 100K)

Our first stop at the Presbyterian Church with some young people holding up their banners.

A look down Edmondson Ave where we stopped and prayed

The banner supplied to us to display as we walked in the community