Neabsco

Woodbridge, Virginia

From the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk, we’re looking southeast 1.3 miles to the railroad trestle at the creek’s mouth with the Potomac River. The Maryland shoreline is barely visible above the bridge, an additional 3.5 miles beyond. That would be the southwest tip of the Indian Head Peninsula. The newly opened $4 million 3/4-mile boardwalk is a pedestrian delight, open dawn until an hour after dark. We saw a couple of egrets but only at a distance, a few redwing blackbirds, and we heard more than we saw numerous tiny chattering birds. Will have to return at a more opportune hour. The only bird I caught on camera was almost as big as a crow but I don’t know what it was yet. [Nick must be right: a crow.] I was of course pleased to catch the southbound CSX freight train through my big lens.

The red marker (top, middle) is where we parked and entered the Neabsco Boardwalk on foot. My orange ink highlights the boardwalk winding 3/4 of a mile across the wetland. The orange line at lower right is the aforementioned railroad trestle, to the right of which is the Potomac River. The as yet unrenamed Jefferson Davis Highway shown on the left is the old main road south to Key West (1,300 miles) or north to Montreal (650 miles).

Full pink moon

Or part thereof. Hard to find a good shot through the trees, and yes it is a moving target when seen through the zoom. Ruth P thought I’d sent the second picture before. No, it is a new one, however admittedly similar to what I’ve got often in the past when trying to take a picture of the moon.

American Robin

Can’t believe I initially labelled this a bluebird. That must have been wishful thinking. We had seen a couple of bluebirds at this birdbath recently, and robins we usually only see briefly in a flock on the front lawn.

Dahlgren Heritage Rail Trail ½ Marathon

The start of the DHRT Half-Marathon has a few hundred yards of rails, a restored ancient wooden caboose, a decrepit freight car, and “The Rocket”, a working railway pumper cart. Race volunteers use it as a moving platform for photographing the runners approaching the finish. See this moving illustration. Among the Fredericksburg Area Runners Club members who finished the race this day was Vic Culp, longtime director, in black hat at back.