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Our Sun, Dawn 9/7/13: Breathtaking

Take That, Bob Woodward! His Media Pals Pile On.

Only the the most recent example of how members of the media like to eat their own.  When it comes to Woodward, and the jealousy of his peers, it could be an anthropological exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. 

Photos From The Morning After #Sandy In Georgetown

THE GEORGETOWN WATERFRONT AT 9:15 AM, WITH THE POTOMAC INCHES AWAY FROM OVER WASHING THE DOCK

I went out this morning around 8:45 and walked for an hour. There were not many signs of significant tree damage in Georgetown. Most of what I found was general debris, some small to medium limbs, but no whole trees down, such as we had with the Durecho. Admittedly I covered only a mile or so. It seems to me the story in the village today is the waterfront, where at 9:15 am the Potomac looked close to bridging the Washington Harbor dock. High tide came at 9:33 am. Every single floodgate, large and small, was up, including at The House of Sweden. The Colonial Parking garage at K and 30th Streets had the sandbags and barriers out. The next high tide is this evening at 9:44.

THE COLONIAL PARKING GARAGE ON K STREET AT THE CORNER OF 30TH

The Washingtonian is collecting citizen storm photos for our website. Please send them to Tanya Pai at this link: SandyStormPhotos. We're also interested in learning what businesses are open or closed. 

THIS IS REPRESENTATIVE OF SANDY TREE DAMAGE I FOUND DURING A WALKABOUT

THE INTERSECTION OF M AND 29TH STREETS AT 8:50 TUESDAY MORNING

A MINI FLOODGATE AT THE HOUSE OF SWEDEN, WHICH FRONTS THE POTOMAC RIVER

TREE DEBRIS ON M STREET NEAR THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL

LIMBS DOWN ON P STREET NEAR WISCONSIN

REASSURANCE, AT CVS ON WISCONSIN AVENUE

MOST LIKELY NO "TENNIS, ANYONE?" TODAY

Important Hurricane Note to People Who Street Park in DC

THE MORNING AFTER THE DURECHO, ON O STREET IN GEORGETOWN

Long-time residents know this lesson well: if you park on the street in DC be sure in a storm to move your car so it is not under a big old beautiful tree. The fact is our beautiful trees don't have the root balls to support them in a storm with fierce winds. With every storm over the past dozen years I have taken a photo of one crushed car or another that had the misfortune of being parked under what appeared to be a healthy tree. It's an illusion. Lots of rain creates soft ground. Add to that the fact there are still leaves on the trees, making them top heavy. So, if your car is parked under a tall, and beautiful DC tree, move it now. 

What's Your Favorite Autumn Tree?

GOLDEN GINGKO'S IN GEORGETOWN

The autumn leaves are changing and falling. What is your favorite autumn tree? Please go to washingtonian.com and take our poll. Scroll down to the lower left of the landing page. 

Spotted in Rose Park: The White Squirrel

Technically this little feller is an albino squirrel, but I like the idea of calling him The White Squirrel. The name has a certain amount of derring do, which is what he displayed while scrambling all over this tree in Rose Park. Snapped the pic Monday at 7:45 a.m. 

There is actually an Albino Squirrel Preservation Society. The motto is: "In the constant pursuit of albino squirrel rights." 

Hey, DC, Do This: Visit The Yards Park

THE YARDS PARK: ALONG THE ANACOSTIA

To visit The Yards Park has been on my "to do" list for quite some time. Yes, I go to Nats games, but when I do it's strictly to the stadium and then back home. The other day my colleague and friend, Denise Wills, talked up The Yards Park and the fun she and her husband had there with their daughter. It jumped to the top of my list and I'm glad. My friend Christopher DePaola and I visited on Sunday. Here are some of the photos. It's important to note that we went on a Sunday morning, with no baseball game happening at that hour, and thus finding a parking space was possible. I'd made an attempt once before, two full hours before a game, and it was pointless -- unless I wanted to pay $20 for a surface lot.

THIS IS A WADING POOL. AT ONE END IS A WATERFALL, THE OTHER END THE ANACOSTIA

Apart from having to find a parking space, it was an interesting exploration of another well developed part of the city. We were so enthused we then went and explored the H Street corridor, the DC "neighborhood of the future." What that means is most of the people who live and work there now will move to PG or Montgomery Counties and H Street will become "the new 14th Street." I have no political opinion about that, because I'm a big fan of what's been done to 14th Street, especially in the vicinity of Logan Circle.

CHILDREN LOVE THE WADING POOL

It's easy in Georgetown to feel park-satisfied, because The Georgetown Waterfront Park is exceptional. The Yards Park is, too. Hooray for DC and the National Park Service (and the others who were involved) for getting this done, though it took almost 30 years to see the Georgetown park to fuition. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Nationals Park stadium development was an impetus to get the Anacostia project done faster. The Yards Park runs to and from the stadium.

THE BOARDWALK THAT LEADS TO AND FROM NATS STADIUM, IN THE DISTANCE

Given that the park adjoins the actual Navy Yards there is a lot of nautical atmosphere. Old docks, now home to Ospreys, Seagulls and Herons; lots of handsome chain and rope. There is the Navy ship, the Barry (not named after the former Mayor), no longer in service except for tours and events, but which once plied the waters off Korea and Vietnam. There is a Swift boat (dedicated, no kidding, by John Kerry), and there's the Navy barracks (home to the Navy band).

THE BARRY, COMMISSIONED IN 1956, DECOMMISSIONED IN 1982. BUILT AT THE BATH IRON WORKS, MAINE.

SWIFT BOAT PCF-1, DEDICATED IN 1998 BY JOHN KERRY AND ELMO R. ZUMWALT, A RETIRED NAVY ADMIRAL.

NICE NAUTICAL TOUCHES ARE EVERYWHERE AT THE YARDS PARK

What I like best about The Yards Park are the walkable spaces, the greenery, the exposure to waterfront, and the history. There are some beautiful old buildings there that I hope get preserved and transformed into something useful. Near the Department of Transportation, along the so-called "transporation walk," a vast retail development is underway.

THE YARDS PARK IS WELL LANDSCAPED WITH LOTS OF GREEN AND CONVENIENT TEAK CHAISES AND BENCHES

A FEATURE ALONG THE "TRANSPORTATION WALK" OUTSIDE THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION

With The Yards Park, and the eventual renovation of the Southwest waterfront, we're nearly at a time when it will be possible to walk, bike or run from Key Bridge to the Douglass Bridge. Bravo.

Hey, DC, Do This: Visit The Yards Park

THE YARDS PARK: ALONG THE ANACOSTIA

To visit The Yards Park has been on my "to do" list for quite some time. Yes, I go to Nats games, but when I do it's strictly to the stadium and then back home. The other day my colleague and friend, Denise Wills, talked up The Yards Park and the fun she and her husband had there with their daughter. It jumped to the top of my list and I'm glad. My friend Christopher DePaola and I visited on Sunday. Here are some of the photos. It's important to note that we went on a Sunday morning, with no baseball game happening at that hour, and thus finding a parking space was possible. I'd made an attempt once before, two full hours before a game, and it was pointless -- unless I wanted to pay $20 for a surface lot.

THIS IS A WADING POOL. AT ONE END IS A WATERFALL, THE OTHER END THE ANACOSTIA

Apart from having to find a parking space, it was an interesting exploration of another well developed part of the city. We were so enthused we then went and explored the H Street corridor, the DC "neighborhood of the future." What that means is most of the people who live and work there now will move to PG or Montgomery Counties and H Street will become "the new 14th Street." I have no political opinion about that, because I'm a big fan of what's been done to 14th Street, especially in the vicinity of Logan Circle.

CHILDREN LOVE THE WADING POOL

It's easy in Georgetown to feel park-satisfied, because The Georgetown Waterfront Park is exceptional. The Yards Park is, too. Hooray for DC and the National Park Service (and the others who were involved) for getting this done, though it took almost 30 years to see the Georgetown park to fuition. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Nationals Park stadium development was an impetus to get the Anacostia project done faster. The Yards Park runs to and from the stadium.

THE BOARDWALK THAT LEADS TO AND FROM NATS STADIUM, IN THE DISTANCE

Given that the park adjoins the actual Navy Yards there is a lot of nautical atmosphere. Old docks, now home to Ospreys, Seagulls and Herons; lots of handsome chain and rope. There is the Navy ship, the Barry (not named after the former Mayor), no longer in service except for tours and events, but which once plied the waters off Korea and Vietnam. There is a Swift boat (dedicated, no kidding, by John Kerry), and there's the Navy barracks (home to the Navy band).

THE BARRY, COMMISSIONED IN 1956, DECOMMISSIONED IN 1982. BUILT AT THE BATH IRON WORKS, MAINE.

SWIFT BOAT PCF-1, DEDICATED IN 1998 BY JOHN KERRY AND ELMO R. ZUMWALT, A RETIRED NAVY ADMIRAL.

NICE NAUTICAL TOUCHES ARE EVERYWHERE AT THE YARDS PARK

What I like best about The Yards Park are the walkable spaces, the greenery, the exposure to waterfront, and the history. There are some beautiful old buildings there that I hope get preserved and transformed into something useful. Near the Department of Transportation, along the so-called "transporation walk," a vast retail development is underway.

THE YARDS PARK IS WELL LANDSCAPED WITH LOTS GREEN AND PLACES TO SIT

A FEATURE ALONG THE "TRANSPORTATION WALK" OUTSIDE THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION

With The Yards Park, and the eventual renovation of the Southwest waterfront, we're nearly at a time when it will be possible to talk, bike or run from Key Bridge to the Douglass Bridge. Bravo.

Baby Animals, Or, My Day @NationalZoo

NOT A BABY ANIMAL, BUT A MEERKAT, WATCHING WASHINGTONIAN PHOTOGRAPHER ANDREW PROPP PHOTOGRAPH THE BABY HOWLER MONKEY...ACROSS THE WAY

My job provides regular fascinations, but there's not much to compare with spending much of a day with baby animals at the National Zoo. The story is on washingtonian.com. For now, I offer a few of my own photos from the day. I'm not much of a zoo person, (and definitely not a circus person), but this was a special occasion.

THE COOLEST DUDE AT THE ZOO, A TOTALLY CHILL FROG

I'm all about animals in the wild rather than in captivity.Today I experienced a positive side to having animals in human care, especially when one zoo official said that -- given all -- at this stage in their development it was safer for the baby cheetahs to be in the zoo rather than in the wild, that this is when they would face the most peril. I appreciated that argument while watching their handlers feed and nurture these two 7-pound babies. That's not all. We spent time with turtle babies, insect babies, chicks, monkey babies ... and more.

ANDREW PROPP PHOTOGRAPHS A TURTLE BABY. WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE PHOTOGRAPH!!!

I returned home so happy to be living among animals, a dog and parrot, even though this morning began inauspiciously with the demise of a mouse. I hated that. All day long I hoped the zoo animals would not pick up on the vibe and consider me the enemy. 

BABY RHEA CHICKS WITH THEIR PROTECTIVE DADDY

WHAT ARE ZOO WORKERS AND PHOTOGRAPHER PROPP LOOKING AT? 

...THIS LITTLE BABY CHEETAH

AND BOTH BABY CHEETAHS, KILLING A PAPER BAG AFTER LUNCH

A WEEK OLD BABY FLAMINGO

If you haven't yet, please read the full story: baby animal boom at National Zoo. 

SPOTTED: A Really Big Bird Near Washington Monument

Any idea who this may be? While I was walking by it flew into a tree. it was too heavy for the branches. Seemed scared. Seemed also to be a baby. Certainly not a garden variety downtown bird.