Taking Flight

After visiting my family in Virginia, I headed to Washington D.C. for a meeting this past Monday.  I usually go to Circus Place in Hillsborough on Monday nights for my static (still) trapeze and lyra class.  I knew I would really miss it, so I looked online to see if there were any classes in Washington D.C. I could take.  Unfortunately the class was late, during the time I had plans for with some other people who work with schools.  They did, however, have a FLYING trapeze class earlier. So, I figured I should give it a try!

What an amazing experience!  With each new attempt I got better and better.  I would absolutely love to fly again soon!  I am posting some photos and a video below.  Enjoy!

Waiting for my teacher's command.  In circus they say "HEP!" instead of "go."  "Go" sounds too much like "no."

Here I go!

Double knee hang

Going for the catch

Got ya!

There were very few books on circus arts in the Somerset County Library System, but here are three you can take out:

Freddy Friday #2 - K9 Explorer

In the first Freddy Friday post I told you how Freddy loves to go on new adventures.  I really love visiting new places too.  Freddy and I went to my parents' house in Virginia for Christmas.  He really likes it there.  My mom has two dogs, Sophie & Jackson, and one of my sisters brought her dog, Big Boy.  All of them got along so well.  Freddy always enjoys his trips to see his "Grandma and Poppy" (my mom and dad).  He especially enjoys running around the open space outside.  This makes me wonder if Freddy could ever survive in a city since there isn't much space to run around.

Top: Sophie and Jackson  Bottom: Freddy and Big Boy

Big Boy and Freddy love to snuggle. They are great cousins!

Freddy loves running around the open grass in Virginia!

Freddy always enjoys a hike through the woods in Virginia.
I had to pick the thorns off of him when we got back though...

In order to test Freddy out in a city I decided to stop in Washington D.C. on the way home.  We got a parking spot on the street right along the National Mall (It is not a shopping mall.  It is actually a tree-lined, narrow park). We were both happy for the chance to stretch our long legs. So many other visitors stopped to admire Freddy as we walked along.  I mean, he is super cute afterall.  Grown-ups and children would pause to ask if they could pet him.  It is always important to ask a dog's owner before you reach out to pet their dog.  This will keep you more safe from a dog who could be frightened or in a bad mood. Freddy loved the extra attention.  We checked out some of the sites. Look at the photos below to see what we saw.  I bet you know some of the presidents I'll talk about! In our classroom we discuss them each day during our math routines while counting money and identifying coins!

Someone was kind enough to take a photo of my best buddy and me!  :-)  

We took a walk along the water to see the Jefferson Memorial.
Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd president, is on the nickel!  He is also on the $2 bill.
Did you know our country even made a $2 bill?!?

Posing in front of the Washington Monument (he was really checking out the hotdog cart I think!!)
George Washington, our 1st president, is on the quarter and the $1 bill.

I think I found the Lincoln Memorial more interesting than Freddy did...
actually, he may have been distracted by another hotdog cart! This dog sure LOVES food.
Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, is on the dime and the $5 bill.

We continued on our way home.  I spotted a sign for a scenic stop while passing through Annapolis, Maryland.  When I hear that something is "scenic" I figure it means that it is as pretty as a picture. Freddy and I figured we might as well stop there!  Why not?  We were in no rush and the sign made us curious to what we would see when we followed it.  We had to pay three dollars in quarters to get into Sandy Point State Park.  Freddy LOVED the idea of taking a walk again after being in the car for a while.  Unfortunately it ended up being a short visit by the time I found enough quarters to get in, because it began to rain!  :-/   At least we know it is there if we would ever like to stop again!

Freddy posing on the northwestern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in front of the Bay Bridge.