Three Beautiful Things 02/24/17: Drive to Ivy City, Greenbelt Lake Stroll, Quick Beans and Rice

1.  I thought I might take a little photo tour of Ivy City, a neighborhood in Northeast D. C., and take some pictures in the Mt. Olivet cemetery, as well.  I wanted to park on West Virginia NE, but the parking places along the border of the cemetery were all taken and I took it as a sign to return another day, earlier, in the morning rather than the afternoon. As always, when I take these excursions out into our nation's capital, I learned more about getting around. I still haven't quite mastered the intersection of New York, West Virginia, and Montana. Like many intersections in D.C., it's poorly marked. Local knowledge helps a lot. I'm earning some of that knowledge, but I took some time when I returned home to study that intersection on a map, eager to return and see if I can smoothly go from New York Avenue NE to West Virginia, instead of repeatedly going on Montana instead.

2. I soon arrived back in Greenbelt and decided to stroll around Greenbelt Lake and take some pictures. The temperatures had crawled into the low 70s, warm enough to walk comfortably in shorts and a T-shirt. Immediately, I seized a few opportunities to take some faceless portraits; I love taking this kind of picture and it's been many months since I've given it a try. I also took some pictures that capture the lake and trail on this balmy day. If you'd like to see some of the pictures I took today, scroll down a ways.

3. The Deke had a long day at school. I picked her up at close to 6 o'clock and offered a trip to Old Line, but she declined. She just wanted to come home. Therefore, I had to make a quick dinner and I pulled up the black beans and rice recipe I've made quite often. It's an awesome recipe, among the very most flavorful and, if I cook basmati rice, I can have dinner ready in about a half an hour. We hadn't had this meal for a while and we loved it and, even if I've posted this recipe 1,000 times before, here it is again.

Here are some of the pictures I shot at Greenbelt Lake: