Around a lake.

Today on my run I saw the following:

• turtles
• deer
• a crane
• some other water bird
• and two golden retrievers

Did you see any fun creatures today?
xoxo, natty ♥

Exactly what I was hoping would happen.

Our neighborhood is full of beautiful Victorian-era row houses. I really enjoy this architecture and am tickled pink that we actually live here {we also have victorian brick sidewalks on some blocks; so cool but easy to trip on...}.

There is one row house that's literally on the circle that we live near {DC has many large traffic circles [also known as roundabouts in some places] but not many are residential like ours is..we live a block off of the circle} that has three picture windows that face the traffic. 

When we arrived here in late July there was one item in each window; each pane had, from the inside of the residence, a fabric ice cream cone. Each was the same as the next and they were each about the size of a basketball. Think about those 1980s children's room-wall decorations, that's what these puffy fabric wall decorations look like. 

And I love it. I love it. This is kind of a painfully trendy and hip neighborhood {except for our building, or at least unit #202} and it makes me SO happy each time I walk past these window decorations because they are so earnest and they do not fit in with the yuppies every where around them.

Then August came and I'm pretty sure those ice cream cones turned into suns.
Then September began and the suns were replaced with...

Can you guess?

Apples, of course! Because it's Back-to-School-Time!

I realized that I should be chronicling these changes some time after the start of September but I felt to shy to whip out my phone and take a picture.

October brought about Jack-O-Lanterns, not to my surprise, but I still couldn't muster up the gumption to snap a shot.

Finally, I got my act together in November.

The Jack-O-Lanterns had turned back into pumpkins for Harvest Season!

I was worried that my neighbor would fall for the whole Black Friday = Christmas but she {I'm convinced it's a she} dutifully waited until December 1st to break out the holiday decor.

Not the best picture; they're wreathes with red bows.

Oh how I wish to one day meet this individual or at least see her {or him} leave the building so that I can have a face to match-up with what I'm imagining because I'm enamored of the idea of an older DC woman who maybe used to be a teacher and enjoys decorating for each season and gets dressed up each time she goes out.

I'm also really looking forward to six more months of varying window themes. I'll be sure to continue with my courage and take pictures each time.

Are there any interesting or quaint members of your local community? Is it appropriate to leave a plate of holiday cookies and a note of admiration on their porch this Christmas?
xoxo, natty ♥

Gross words.

I run through the Georgetown neighborhood every other day or so; it's one of my little routes.

On my way I love to look at the pretty houses, interesting people, and, for now, the gorgeous leaves.

But.

There's something that catches my eye every time I see it and I smirk and laugh inwardly.

I understand that this establishment is making use of their neighborhood and their proximity and trying to make a connection to the renowned Georgetown University and neighborhood.

But, G-Land spells out "gland", does it not?

And that's not a word that any business, even a thyroid clinic, should think appropriate to place {in neon, no less} in their front window.
xoxo, natty ♥

What we did today.

Today we ran 16 miles. Mr. Mike and I went to the big city to get in our long run since it's more interesting than where we live. I hadn't particularly been looking forward to these 16 miles since...it's a freaking long amount of time! Mikey is great company but, still, it's 16 miles. I decided to take along my camera to get pictures of various parts of the route and keep myself entertained; fun! I got in most of the pictures while still running; I didn't want to hold us up too much. They aren't too blurry though; yea!
Here's where we started.

The ran began at Dog Beach and then through the Marina district. 

 

This view is one of my San Francisco favorites {the dome, not the grass}.

These unsuspecting dog owners had two large and fluffy creatures that I couldn't resist. I was totally discrete, mind you.

There was a family kite flying festival on the Marina green as well. I really enjoyed the scuba diver kite with the shark following him.

The rock was in plain view all day. 

It was super clear and just beautiful in the city {no fog} and we ran and ran through that gorgeousness.

Aquatic Park right by Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Square was hosting a swim meet of sorts. I thanked my lucky stars that I'm a runner and not an open, COLD water swimmer.

We ran in the other direction towards Crissy Field, past Dog Beach again, and up to Fort Point {which I still haven't visited}.

At Fort Point there is a plaque of two copper hand prints. There's a really neat story about these hands that you can read about HERE. There's also a set of paw prints too. We {and other runners} high-five these hands when we get to this turn-around; it gives us energy! 

These funny schnauzers maybe did the paws too; I didn't see but I certainly loved them.

We then made our way up and over the golden gate; super windy-ness!

It was a beautiful day and we topped it all off with a repeat of last Saturday's sandwich love. I'm not linking up to information about these handy-dandy places we visited today; I think all of those links are actually on the post about our SF run with Becs {another fabulous day ♥} which you can check out HERE.
Happy Saturday!
xoxo, natty ♥

Things I see while runing.

My good friend Rebecca recently wrote about things she sees and takes pictures of while running. This makes me feel good because I know I'm not the only one. I'm lucky to have a camera in my phone and a music player too so I don't have to lug around three different devices just for a simple run. I wouldn't really do that, though, you know that, right? It's just a happy coincidence for me that I can listen to NPR, field calls and take pictures while on my constitutional. Totally necessary things to do while running.
Anywho, here are two signs I saw recently while out running. 

 

If only I were feeling entrepreneurial, I could probably make some big bucks.

Also, my grandmother, aunt and I took a quick jaunt to Monterey on Saturday for some poking around. Shiner and my aunt and I had a good time on the beach.

Have a great Thursday y'all!
xoxo, natty ♥