Since arriving in Washington, D.C., C and I have tried to make the most of my posting here by exploring the city and the surrounding region whenever we can. Whether visiting museums, attending special events, or discovering places just beyond the Beltway, we have enjoyed experiencing all that the National Capital Region has to offer. While Spring 2026 brought more challenges than we expected, we still found opportunities to get out, explore, and make a few more memories together.

The first activity we tried this spring was Puppy Yoga. With Washington’s unpredictable weather in late March, it seemed like a good choice. As it turned out, we could not have asked for a more beautiful day, with warm temperatures and clear skies.

We took the Metro to Rosslyn and then walked across the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, perhaps my favorite bridge into Washington. The bridge offers beautiful views of the Potomac River, and I especially enjoy seeing the towers of Georgetown University rising above the trees.

Each week, Puppy Yoga features a different breed. We lucked out with the puppies that day as the featured puppies were corgis, C’s favorite kind of dog. They were absolutely adorable. There was also one especially friendly Bernedoodle puppy that “attacked” both C and me with enthusiastic face licks. We had 45 minutes of yoga instruction, with puppies on the loose, followed by 30 minutes of puppy playtime. The time was very generous. We all got enough puppy time, and for those who wanted the yoga – like me – we had an excellent session. I found the whole thing therapeutic. We enjoyed it so much we returned for more puppy yoga six weeks later.

Two weekends later, we were greeted with another beautiful spring day. My plan was to take C to the Bluebell Festival at Riverbend Park, a beautiful Fairfax County park adjacent to Great Falls National Park. For just a few weeks each spring, Virginia bluebells blanket parts of the park in a carpet of delicate violet-blue wildflowers.

Unfortunately, it seemed everyone else in Northern Virginia had the same idea. By the time we arrived, the parking lots were full and park staff had stopped admitting additional visitors.

Rather than call it a day, C asked if we could go to Annapolis, Maryland, instead. Now that she is firmly in the Sea Scouts, she had expressed an interest in visiting America’s Sailing Capital and the U.S. Naval Academy, and I had been telling her for some time that I would take her. Annapolis was certainly not nearby, but with such a beautiful day, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the trip.

We strolled along the historic streets of downtown Annapolis, visited the campus of St. John’s College—the nation’s third-oldest college after Harvard University and my alma mater, William & Mary—and popped into the Museum of Historic Annapolis along the waterfront. Unfortunately, the United States Naval Academy was closed to all visitors due to security protocols, so C drowned her disappointment by picking up some USNA merchandise at a shop on Main Street.

With temperatures climbing into the mid-80s—almost unheard of in early April—we were not especially hungry. Instead, we each got an ice cream and sat by the city dock enjoying a little taste of summer in April while watching the boats and the people go by.

Two weeks later, while C was away on a Scout campout, I returned alone to Riverbend Park. The peak bloom for the Virginia bluebells had passed, though a few patches were still hanging on. The festival crowds were gone, and while there were still plenty of other hikers enjoying the beautiful spring morning, the trails felt wonderfully peaceful. I spent a couple of hours wandering through the woods, occasionally emerging along the banks of the Potomac before the trail disappeared back beneath the trees. It was a wonderful way to spend a spring morning and a welcome chance to slow down and enjoy being in nature.

In late April, I drove C to New York so she could participate in Sea Scout University, hosted by a New York-based Sea Scout ship at SUNY Maritime College. The college is located on the narrow peninsula of Throggs Neck in the Bronx and occupies part of historic Fort Schuyler.

Rather than make the long drive early Saturday morning, we left Virginia after work and school on Friday afternoon and spent the night at a hotel in Flushing, Queens. The following morning, I dropped C off at Sea Scout University, where she spent the day taking classes and meeting Sea Scouts from other ships, primarily from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. I had planned to spend the day sightseeing while she was in class, so I drove out to Oyster Bay on Long Island in hopes that the weather might improve. Unfortunately, the steady rain never let up, and my sightseeing plans were largely washed out.

At 5:00 p.m., I picked C up from the college, and we began the drive back to Virginia. Despite missing out on some exploring of my own, I never mind a good road trip with my kiddo. And though brief, we had an opportunity to see more of New York outside of Manhattan.

Our next adventure came about through one of C’s Scouting commitments. In addition to being active in her own troop, she serves as the Den Chief for a Webelos den in a local Cub Scout pack. As part of that role, we joined several of the Cub Scouts and their families for an afternoon of kayaking on the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park at Pennyfield Lock.

Although showers had been in the forecast, they never materialized. Instead, we enjoyed two wonderful hours paddling along a particularly scenic stretch of the canal. Surrounded by lush greenery and the quiet waters of the C&O Canal, it was hard to believe we were only a short drive from downtown Washington. It was another perfect spring afternoon.

By May, however, the season took an unexpected turn. With our apartment move scheduled for the end of the month, just after Memorial Day, I had intentionally kept our calendar fairly light. C had a one-night biking campout with her Scout troop at Antietam one weekend and later traveled with her Sea Scout ship to Sea Scout Academy at Fort Monroe. My plan was to spend those weekends preparing for the move.

Then, on Mother’s Day, everything changed.

While standing in my kitchen on the morning of May 10, I was suddenly hit with searing, electric pain that shot from my lower back down my leg. I had not lifted anything or twisted awkwardly. I had simply been standing there. The pain was so intense that I froze in place for several minutes before I was finally able to limp to the sofa.

My recovery has been slow, and I have been much more limited in what I can do. After the move, we did manage one outing: a Washington Spirit match at the very end of May. I had purchased the tickets before my injury as a little treat to celebrate getting settled into our new home. For the half of the game I actually saw, it was an exciting match, and the Spirit won. Unfortunately, I spent the other half either in the stadium’s medical unit asking for pain medication or waiting in line to buy us hot dogs for dinner. It was not exactly the evening I had envisioned.

Although Spring 2026 did not unfold quite as I had envisioned, C and I still managed to get out and try a few new activities, discover a few new places, and, most importantly, spend quality time together. As summer begins, C is off enjoying her summer camps while I am taking things a little easier and focusing on my recovery. With a bit of luck—and a lot of physical therapy—I hope to be back on my feet and ready for our next big adventure.