Melodic Wooden Path

This photograph was taken during a weekend stroll around Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial -- an island that sits in between the District of Columbia and Virginia in the Potomac River.

One of my favorite elements of the island is that its dirt trails occasionally turn into wooden paths carrying visitors over marshes and creeks. These wooden paths are long enough to fully enjoy the sounds of your footsteps echoing as you walk.

I love that sound, especially when the forest around you is silent except for the sounds of your hallowed steps and wildlife communicating around you. The thudding sound created by our feet striking the wooden planks of the paths resembles the thud of our heart beating -- accelerated if we're running and slower if strolling. My preference is strolling; it's better for picture taking.

Looming Teddy

A friend of mine and I walk every weekend when the weather allows and one of the places we like to walk at is Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park. It's an island in the Potomac River across from the Georgetown waterfront. We walked around the island several times before we discovered there was a path leading to an actual monument for President Theodore Roosevelt.

However, this monument is a bit disturbing. It consists of this huge statue of Roosevelt reminiscent of a famous Joseph Stalin pose surrounded by large walls with Roosevelt's favorite quotes. While it's fitting for the monument to be in a natural habitat due to Roosevelt founding the national park system, the statue's pose seems inappropriate and unnatural for Roosevelt. I preferred just focusing on his face for this photograph.