A Walk in the Woods

Fall leaves are fading, and now with Daylight Savings gone we are trying to soak up every minute of sunshine and nice fall weather. Monday we went on a walk up towards Mt. Vernon. There is a network of sidewalks and then trails through the woods that lead from our neighborhood up to the estate. We love it! The kids did great- it was about an hour round trip and they really didn't whine until the last 10 minutes or so. I carried Harris in the Ergo baby and he slept for about 45 minutes, leading me to think this is a great use of his morning nap. We saw some beautiful purple berries (that I am trying to i.d.), black squirrels**, dandelions for wishing and blowing and some brightly hued leaves for pressing.

(Fun Fact)

**Black squirrels were introduced to the Washington, D.C. area near the beginning of the 20th century at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Since their introduction, the population of black squirrels in Washington has slowly but steadily increased, and black individuals now account for up to 25% of some squirrel populations in the area. (from Wikipedia)