Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: nature, travel

Day Two of my whirlwind tour took me to Washington DC.
Coincidentally enough I ended up in the Nation’s Capital on Election Day!
Yes, I am possibly the most non-political person ever. So it’s oddly ironic
that of all people I end up there on the first Tuesday of November!

I knew that I didn’t need to do my “glitter gig” until later that evening, so I
decided to start the day with a beautiful hike at Great Falls National Park.
Who knew that the Potomac River could be so wonderfully exciting just miles
up the river before it so calmly pass through the Capital?

It was beautiful & sunny with just a hint of chill in the air. And since it’s Tuesday and most
people are working, the park was incredibly empty. Like I had the whole park to myself!
It started out like many other National Parks. Woods. Water. Trails. Serene.

And then the river widens as it goes across a viaduct. So calm before, a little crazier after!

A little ways down the river from the aqueduct, the river gets crazy & the sound gets louder!
Then the river kind of opens up and creates this wonderful waterfall! Such a stark contrast to
the river before the falls, and the river after the Capital.

Just a few days after Hurricane Sandy worked its way up the East Coast, and wreaked havoc
in New York & New Jersey, it was interesting to see how this park had been affected too. If
it weren’t obvious enough from the sandbags stacked up everywhere, you could also see how
high the water was from the leaves that were “plastered” on most of the branches along the
river bed. And apparently it’s not the first time they’ve gotten a lot of water… they even have
a tall souvenir marking the floods over the years. Hurricane Sandy hasn’t been posted yet!

It was great to have yet another “Fall” this year too! I got an early blast of color up in the
Wisconsin Northwoods for ART DETOUR in October. Then the Fall colors came through
Chicago a couple weeks later. I was kind of surprised that Autumn was still hanging on
when I got to Washington, DC.

 

 

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