70 degrees!

The temperature exceeded 70 degrees today, so even though I had some errands to do, I made sure to spend all afternoon outside. After thoroughly cleaning my car, inside and out, I headed to Brookside Gardens. It's a "public display park" in Montgomery County, Md., and it's pretty close to where I live (driving distance, not walking). Because it was the first really warm weekend, the plants were still blooming so it wasn't as lush as I'm sure it is later in the spring, but it was still really nice. It reminded me a lot of St. Louis' Botanical Garden. However,  this is a little smaller.

I brought food for a picnic lunch, but it turns out I was only supposed to have food in a picnic and playground area slightly away from the Gardens. So, first I trekked there and ate my lunch, among tons of small children playing on slides. Then I walked around the Japanese Garden, Rose Garden, Fragrance Garden and Azalea Garden — and through the conservatories. Then I sat on a bench for awhile and did some writing.

Update: I also got my first sunburn of the year, mostly on the top of my back. I guess that's the price of a lovely day outside.

Three great bands
Friday night, I joined a friend to see some bands at the Rock and Roll Hotel (a music venue and bar; not an actual hotel) on H Street Northeast. We came to see my friend's friend, who was playing with the second band, but we enjoyed all three shows. The first band (Lightfoot) included some ukulele and glockenspiel playing and an amazing vocalist. The second band (The David Wax Museum) had jarana, accordion, string bass, sax, violin and cool percussion toys. And the third band (Junior League Band) was a mix of drums, bass, electric guitar, fiddle and banjo. So, it wasn't your typical guitar and singer group, but it was all really great music.