So Long, Irene . . .Things Are Looking Rosier Now That You're Gone!

Irene apparently did not receive my message (or chose to ignore it) and blew into town yesterday morning, wreaking havoc with Virginia all day and all night and into this morning. Thankfully, with the exception of some lights flickering and several trees down, she is now little more than a memory, aside from the tragic loss of life she left in her wake.

By lunchtime today, the sun had reappeared here, and because I wasn't able to walk yesterday (aside from an exceedingly wind-driven rainy walk to the store, which was out of onions, oddly enough), I set out shortly after 1:00 this afternoon for a short jaunt, covering a mere 4 miles. Honestly, though, it felt like more, as the wind was still gusting quite strongly as the remnants of Irene made themselves known. Do I get extra credit?

The sky was a lovely blue as I began my walk.

From home, I set out westward bound on the Custis Trail, where I soon came across a lamp post which looked different than the last time I'd passed by.

I'm not sure whether the tilt of this lamp post is due to the earthquake or Irene (or perhaps a mixture of both . . .a hurriquake?), but after taking the above picture, I stopped to inspect the base of the lamp. There are several wires lying on the ground, and it looks quite damaged. And speaking of damaged, I soon came across one of the many fallen trees that dot Arlington County following the storm. Fortunately, a crew was already hard at work removing the tree from the trail.

Reaching the end of the Custis Trail, I walked southward on the Four Mile Run Trail toward my destination. It had been a while since I'd visited the Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden, and given that September is just around the corner, I figure there are but a few days left to enjoy these lovely flowers. The beautiful rosiness of the garden was the perfect way to celebrate the sun's return following the natural disasters of the past week.