Alzheimers Walk

Saturday, September 28 was the Alzheimers Walk - a fundraiser for the Alzheimers Association.  The Residences at Vantage Point (formerly Vantage House) where I live has been a huge supporter of this event for years.  This is our 4th September here and the first time that we were not traveling so we could participate.

I signed up as a member of the Vantage Point team and had my own page for donations.

[If you want to donate head over to that page.  HERE.]

My father in law died of Alzheimers in 2003 so this walk was dedicated to him.

We have had no rain or cloudy days all of September but this Saturday was a cloudy one.  I guess that was a bonus since it would have been hotter with the sun.

Here are photos from the event.

Some of us standing in front of the Vantage Point tent.  Lots of senior living places were represented here.  Dan is in the khaki shorts.

Our team shirts were purple as were many others but here's a group in white shirts.

Our administrator is in the center above.  Staff out numbered residents in participation.

 Starting line.  We started early because music too loud.  It wasn't a race.

View of Centennial Lake.

Its green with algae because of dry month.

Below you can see the groups behind us crossing the dam.

Sign of fall or overstressed tree?  Don't know.

As you read this I am in Barcelona, Spain.  Arrived on the 2nd and here until the 16th.  I'll have lots to share on my return.

Smithsonian Victorian Gardens.

Another trip offered by the retirement community where I live.  This time the destination was Washington, DC, The Smithsonian Institution, and specifically the Victorian garden which resides behind the Smithsonian Castle.

As we exited the Castle through these doors,

 here was the first view.

What a blue sky day, low humidity for Washington, too.

Off to the right and left are large trees with air plants hanging from the branches.

The garden is so symmetrical.

The garden is flanked by two museums which are primarily underground.

In fact the Victorian Garden is on top of the museum spaces for these two museums.

Though the museum with the circle motif is on the left, the gardens on the right have the circle motif.

Another view of the castle.

The docent took us in to a hidden garden where tropical plants are displayed.

If I'm ever here for lunch I'll have to bring it to this out of the way spot.

We then visited the gardens on the left which had a square theme.

See the Washington monument above the trees.  Just this week it has reopened.

Here's another garden we visited on our own on the other side of the Exhibition Hall

One last shot of the castle where our white bus waits to take us back home.