Marsh Walk

I had what my British friend would refer to as a "lie in" this morning. I awoke at about 8:30 but then rolled over and didn't awake again until ten o'clock. It felt great to have a nice, long sleep and a day without plans ahead of me.

I completed a few errands around town and spent most of the day inside. It wasn't until 6:00pm that I considered going out again to take a few pictures. Without much thought as to my destination I climbed in the car with camera and iced tea in hand and headed off toward the Potomac River. I ended up at Daingerfield Island, a small plot of land on the river between Alexandria and Washington National Airport. There's a marina there and at first I thought I would take some sailboat pictures. After parking the car I found myself walking toward a marsh to take a closer look at the cattails in bloom. I was hoping to find some redwing blackbirds to pose for me, but ended up on a mini frog hunt.

The muddy, murky waters of the marsh were full of frogs of all sizes. The small ones are a bit skittish. As I walked along the edge of the marsh my steps were greeted with squeaks and splashes as the tiny critters hopped away to safety. The larger ones were more likely to stand their ground as they sat still cooling themselves in the mud and water.

I was also treated to a quick raccoon sighting, the first time I've seen a raccoon wading through water. There were also the herons that I love, perched gracefully on a fallen log. I spent about five minutes watching a small beaver nibble on a plant before he swam away.

The marsh walk was a great way to end the day.