Dennis Vanlangen

OPTION 1: FREE ENTRY PASS (WALKING INTO THE ZOO)

• If you walk, bike, taxi or take public transportation, you need an entry pass for each person in your group.
• Limit six passes per reservation
• Access the Zoo via the Connecticut Avenue or Harvard Street Bridge entrances.

NOTE: If you choose a Paid Parking Pass (option 2), you do not need entry passes for your group.

OPTION 2: PAID PARKING PASS (PARKING AT THE ZOO)

• If you drive and park at the Zoo, your Paid Parking Pass covers entry for everyone in your personal vehicle. You do not need to reserve free entry passes for your group.
• $30 per car
• One pass per car, covers all occupants
• All cars must enter the Zoo at the Connecticut Avenue entrance (3001 Connecticut Ave, NW).

Note:  Lynn Cline has a zoo membership and can reserve free parking and entry for one car and its passengers.

Carpool departure time from Tallwood is 7:00 so we may arrive when the zoo opens and the animals are most active for the public.

1550 Anacostia Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20019

According to the website, the lotus flowers are popping up all around the park and are currently at 38% bloom. The lilies are out in force.  Also, 7 great blue herons, 4 great egrets and 1 green heron were spotted from the boardwalk on June 30.

The park is open 8:00 - 4:00 daily.  The lotus and lily festival runs July 9 - July 31, and during this time the park is open until 8:00pm on Fridays.

Sunflowers (two options)

This year it seems to be less than optimal but for those who wish to try it, here are options.

Option 1: McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area

Directions: From the Capital Beltway, take Exit 39 (River Road) west toward Potomac. Proceed for approximately 11 miles to the intersection of River Road and MD 112, Seneca Road. Turn left and continue on River Road for about 2 1/2 miles. McKee-Beshers will be on your left as you head west on River Road.

Apparently one of the fields has been planted with something other than sunflowers this year, and the sunflowers are currently at an early stage.

Following is a link to their website with more details and a map which shows the location of the sunflower fields.  https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/central/sunflowers.aspx

Option 2: Burnside Farms

Nokesville farm - 11008 Kettle Run Rd., Nokesville, VA 20181 https://www.burnsidefarms.com

As mentioned in one of our meetings, another option for sunflowers is Burnside Farms. The website currently has only preliminary information and the farm is closed until mid-July.  When they reopen, they will have fields of sunflowers.  You must purchase a ticket online and the prices are not yet posted. Unlike McKee-Beshers, which is a wildlife sanctuary, this is intended for family fun, so it is a very different type of photo opportunity.

Logistics from their website: The farm does not allow reflectors, flash boxes, tripods, props or any other equipment that may get in the way of other guests enjoying their visit. We reserve the right to ask you to not use these devices if we see them in use. Regular hours are different each season and hours are dependent on how many daylight hours we have. New for 2021, we will offer limited early bird and evening ticket options (those tickets will be posted to our ticket page when they become available).

4155 Linnean Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008
GPS may be inaccurate, so see Directions at the Hillwood website.

Current Exhibition: Rich Soils

There is a unique opportunity to see an exhibit in the gardens during this visit. Contemporary American artist Kristine Mays's life-size, three-dimensional dancing wire sculptures will emerge throughout the gardens for the special exhibition Rich Soil, on view from June 26, 2021 through January 9, 2022.

Mays breathes life into wire, transforming an industrial product into fascinating and moving works of art. Springing to life throughout the 13 acres of formal gardens, 29 sculptures will surprise visitors as they dance throughout the garden beds, bursting forth from the plant life. "My hope is that the figures will spring forth like spirits rising from the soil, to be recognized, revered and embraced," Mays has explained. "May they push through while at the same time mingling and dancing among the flowers. Both plant and human beings come and go—reverberating within the cycles of life.”

Hillwood Website
Hillwood Tickets

Choose your favorite photo spot: Great Falls, Harper's Ferry, Skyline Drive, pumpkin fields, or your own neighborhood.  Any location is fair game for sharing your photos and experiences for this theme.  We'll discuss your photos at the OPC Zoom meeting October 22nd at noon.

Gunston Hall
10709 Gunston Rd, Mason Neck, VA
Home of George Mason, gardens and trail to the Potomac.
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Mason Neck State Park
7301 High Point Road, Lorton, VA
Park on the Belmont Bay with trails along the coast, through the marsh and woodlands.
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