Bikes, BBQ, Ballet, and SUMMER!

It’s June in Washington, DC which means school is winding down and summer is starting up. That means (more) baseball games, (more) bicycle adventures, and plenty of time on the porch with the grill fired up. Between Will and my MTB adventures at Fountain Head and Wakefield we are in the triple digit territory on…

Moments from May

After a year of a somewhat normal schedule for Phil, May brought a full month of travel. While Dad was away, we were fortunate to have grandma with us for a few weeks – what a treat! The weekdays were filled with work and school, but grandma got to see lots of Will’s baseball games…

Early Blooms

Normally an April event, the peak cherry blossom bloom this year was predicted to be 22 March by the Park Service thanks to a moderate winter and some early season warming. I can’t remember if we had been back since 2017 but I was up to my usual pre-blossom viewing grumbles this year. Rain all…

A Full House

Hooray for visitors! The house of four (plus one Lucy) swelled to ten for our first Thanksgiving in Alexandria. Dad and Elaine flew in for a few days with us then Gabe, Laura, and crew joined us for the big feast. We spent our time playing outside during the day and finding reasons to start…

Weekend Adventures

If you live in DC (we’ll count those of us on the west side of the river in that group – blaspheme!), you know you need to escape on the weekends to soak up all the area has to offer. This weekend escape was hatched from a confluence of ideas. We ain’t no strangers to…

August in the DMV

Crab cakes and football are a Maryland thing so I guess crabs and baseball can be a Virginia thing. Summer in the DC area is sure to be one thing: humid. If you want something besides the humidity you need to venture out into the humidity and grab it! We did our best to not…

So long Stafford

The older I get the more I feel the old adage, “the days are long but the years are short” applies to the stage of life we’re in. Actually, it feels more like the days and years are short. Anyway, somehow four years flew by and it means it’s time to say so long to…

Shreddin’ the ______

Okay, so if it’s happening in Fairfield, PA, there probably isn’t much “shreddin’ the pow-pow” going on. Nonetheless, Dad was thrilled to be peppered with requests by the shorter Wiktors to go skiing again this year. This time around, both Sophia and Will put the planks on and tried their luck on the slopes. Since…

Rockin’ around the Christmas tree

Ok, so there was no dancing and it didn’t look anything like the scene out of my favorite Christmas movie, but we certainly had a great time celebrating the holiday season with a few of our friends at the White House Christmas Party. It was a bit of a sensory overload taking everything in during…

What do you do on a rainy fall day in VA?

Head to Hollin Farms of course! You can’t have fall pass in VA without heading to apple country and spending an afternoon filling up a few bags, eating an apple cider doughnut, and enjoying a tasty beverage. Since we aren’t rule breakers and it can’t be fall without apples…out came the boots and raincoats and…