Kenilworth Gardens

I just realized looking through my pics that I never posted on our trip to Kenilworth Gardens. In my lifetime of living in DC I had never visited this southeast landmark, a gem amongst the city. The lotus were in full and spectacular bloom when we arrived that morning. Because of the intense heat, you must arrive before mid-day or the lotus blooms will be closed. The gardens are set up so that you can get very close to the ponds, and there are paths amongst them so you really feel very close to the flowers. There were many amateur photographers there looking for the perfect shot and being a bit annoying as they set up their massive tripods and blocked off areas to stand. I like to take pictures, but I'm not going to be that annoying. If you want to take pictures like that, get there before 9 AM when the massive throngs of people arrive.

Laika enjoyed herself as you can see, and was a bit frantic as usual with having her leash pulled tight in close quarters. Her tongue gets really really long when she's hot.

I was surprised at how large the flowers were. Of course the lily pads were over a foot across, and these lotus blooms measured 9 inches or more across when fully opened. They were much larger than a Chipotle burrito, with guacamole.

Kenilworth Aquatic is much larger than I anticipated. Not only are there the extensive network of ponds, but past that is a wetland lookout area where we spotted a few herons and a bald eagle. The wetland is connected to the Anacostia River, and I hope to get to the Park some day by kayak. I will pray that day to not fall into the Anacostia, for obvious reasons. In the fall we will have a birdwalk here, perhaps along the river path trail.