Got up around 11am on Saturday still in a zombie like state but was greeted with a large “bucket” of Starbucks coffee, Rob had picked one up on his way back from work (he teaches in a nearby by private school).
After the coffee had pumped around my veins and I was more or less fully awake we all headed out to the nearby historic Town of Occaquan. I just love the America streets and Towns, there’s just something unique about the layout and the look. It was early February and really should have been bitingly cold with snow, whilst you wouldn’t put your shorts on it was really quite mild.
We had breakfast in a quaint little red brick café. It was about 200 years old which is ancient in the states. Occaquan was an important native Indian settlement where the Potomac and Occaquan rivers converge originally providing a good source of food and travel for the settlers.
Main Street Occaquan
We then headed just down the road to the Occaquan National Wildlife Reserve. Run by the US Fish and Wildlife this wetland reserve of about 650 acres is a former military testing site but now home to countless species of rare birds plus reptiles, amphibians and aquatic mammals as well as numerous deer. Although it was relatively quiet on the animal front it was spectacular scenery in the sharp February air. The confluence of the Potomac and the Occaquan was huge, it looked like a massive lake and must have been over 1.5 miles wide.
My brother Rob and his son Ronan on the banks of the Occaquan/Potomac river
After a couple of miles stroll around the park, where Maddy pointed out various Indian artefacts on the groud (arrow heads etc…..it’s her job) we went home to chill. That night Rob, Ronan and I went to see “The Lady in Black” at the cinema, makes you jump a lot but predictably so…..good though.
Take out Mexican for tea and a hefty dose of Laurel and Hardy for the evening (tolerated well by Maddy), great day.
Sunday was an equally late rise, out the door by 11.00, had to drop off Ronan at his drama class. Time for me to do a bit of souvenir hunting at Target, a sort of bargain store.
Back home by 3pm and managed to get a bit of work done then we headed out for tea. Superbowl was on so the restaurant was very quiet, had a meat special….ribs, pork, chicken…mmmmmm.
In the evening we all sat down to watch JAWS, possibly my favourite film, timeless. Everyone pretty tired so to bed by 11pm, found it hard to sleep, I think because of the knowledge that I was moving on again.
My brother's house (in the middle), Fairfax City, Virginia
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