Floating Gardens

 One of the many perks of living in the DC area is getting to explore more than the mall or the Top 10 tourist sites in the city.  Recently we visited one of those places that is off the beaten path.

Nestled in the Kenilworth neighborhood off of the 295 highway are the  Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.  

I was blown away that this beautiful garden was just blocks from the freeway and yet it was peaceful.  You could hear the birds, frogs and even watch the turtles.  This is truly a hidden gem.

Due to construction in the parking lot we had to park on side streets and enter through a temporary entrance.   We immediately were greeted with ponds filled with lily pads and floating water lilies.  These beautiful flowers have been beloved flowers hundreds of years.

Buddhists and Hindus waterlilies are symbolic of rebirth and enlightenment.  Their beauty rival many flowers but their ability to close at night and reopen the next day makes them extra special.

Our walk took us along many ponds of waterlilies and then we saw incredible pink beauty.  From the muck of muddy waters standing tall are the bright pink lotus flowers. Their leaves are gigantic, their flowers vibrant, but what is even more amazing is what happens after the flower blooms.

The seed pod is located in the center of the flower.  After it blooms and shares its beauty for 5(ish) days the petals begin to fall.  With the movement of the murky water the seeds fall out of the pod into the  water where they will nestle into the mud till the conditions are right to grow and bloom.  The pod will begin to dry out.  I had no idea that these dried pods are what I have in many of my fall and winter flower arrangements.

While I was enchanted by these pods the boys were thrilled to be in a park that had lots of sticks and rocks.  That little rock is about to become wet.

It is great fun to watch them discover nature for themselves.  Sticks and rocks are at the top of their list to find.  Running on the trails, walking like a bear on the bridge and watching the birds were also fun.

As the adults in their life we loved watching the brotherly love come out in sharing hugs, kisses and holding hands.  They really are the sweetest.

Cutie E kept asking where the turtles were.  We were looking, but they were hiding in their secret places.  Just before leaving I spotted a little dude resting on the banks of one of the ponds in the sun.  The boys loved watching him stretch his neck.

The best part of the day was sharing this new hidden gem with the boys, Holly and Dreyton.  I do love our field trips together.

Apples

 It is no big secret, FALL is my favorite time of year.  

Football returns,  the breezes kick in, temperatures cool, the days get shorter (not my favorite part), evenings are cool enough for snuggling, sweatshirts return and the fall colors are vibrant.

Fall in Oregon is a bit short for my liking, but not here.  In the DC area we can enjoy the fall colors and weather for almost 2 months.  That is two whole months of soaking up everything fall has to offer.

One of my favorite activities is to go apple picking. It has been a few years since I've picked apples and now that the boys are a bit older it was the perfect time to pick a Maryland farm. 

The little farm Holly and I took the boys to was not so small and perfectly fall.  Larriland Farms is surrounded by rolling hills,  a small lake, lots of trees and beautiful farm land.  They started in 1973 and their primary focus was to produce yummy fruits and veggies for you to pick.  

Ariel view of Larriland, from their website

Larriland has 25.5 acres with 27 different varieties of apples, each with its own peak season.

On our visit we strolled up and down a couple of isles picking Crimson Crisp and Autumn Crisp apples. It didn't take long before we had filled two giant bags with yummy apples.

The boys loved picking apples that were low to the ground and easy to pluck.  Cutie E enjoyed showing off his prizes and filling the bag.  Cutie O wasn't sure at first as his little hands didn't always fit around the apple.

Some of the apples were so big that I couldn't use my apple slicer.

Both varities were sweet and juicy and if stored properly can last up to 6-8 weeks.  WOW!

We have eaten quite a few, but the majority are apple sauce.  I did have a little help, but Cutie O didn't see why he had to cut the apple if he could just eat it.

My mom taught me to just chop up the apple and throw everything in.  In the process of sending the cooked apples through the sieve the skin and seeds will be left behind.  She said that you wasted less apple this way.  I have followed mom's process for years.

The pleasant surprise this year was that the Crimson Crisp apples deep red skin color turned the cooked apples pink.  I have pink apple sauce without using red hots or food color.  To top it off it is so sweet that I didn't need to add brown sugar, cinnamon or ginger.  These apples are amazing.  My little helper thought so too.

We have enjoyed these apples so much that I will be making more trips to Larriland Farms in the future.

I hope everyone is enjoying their fall favorites no matter where they live.