The cherry blossoms are blooming

 The cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Bethesda now.  If you get a chance look for some.  A great place to see them is along the Capital Crescent Trail near Dorset Avenue.

The demolition of Woodward High School / Tilden Middle School

Montgomery County Public Schools is replacing the former Tilden Middle School (At Charles W. Woodward) with a new high school.  Before it was Tilden, it was Woodward High School.  The building is being razed and a new building will be raised. It will re-open as Woodward High School in a few years.

 

Demolition is well under way at the site. There are piles of rebar, metal beam, and other bits of the building. Here you can see some what good venilation they have for these classrooms.

The far wall of this exposed hallway has red and yellow lockers lining it. There are piles of rubble in the foreground on both sides.

 

A section of the wall has been torn out to allow work crews to access the building more easily.

A foggy morning in Bethesda

This morning was a bit dreary and rainy.  During one of the breaks in the rain I went out to look around.  The clouds were low enough to the ground that you couldn't see the tops of some of the taller buildings.

 

Little Falls Trail construction (update number 2)

 

Work continues on the bridges over Little Falls branch.  As you recall from last update the bridge closest to the Dalecarlia tunnel has been replaced and is open.

The bridge closer to Massachusetts Avenue  has been replaced, but there is still work to do before it can be opened.

The approach to the bridge on the opposite side of the creek from the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) still needs to have the path created up to the bridge so there isn't a step.

The side closest to the Capital Crescent Trail has been graded so it smoothly transitions to the bridge.  However, there is still a bright orange fence blocking the trail so you can't access it from the CCT yet.

The Little Falls Trail still is being worked on.  Between the two bridges the trail is somewhat blocked (with a marked detour around it) and covered with a thick layer of mulch to protect the ground when heavy equipment is being used.

Near the bridge is a small drainage creek that is being widened and rebuilt.

Security fences around the U.S. Capitol

 

After the January 6th insurrection, security fences were put up around the U.S. Capitol building.  Last Saturday, I took advantage of a break in the rain to walk around the perimeter and take some photos.  In this first photo, fences and trucks block Pennsylvania Avenue.

There are several different types of fences in different areas.  This is one of the less common ones.  It is on the National Mall, directly in front of the Capitol.

Here's another view of the Mall and the Capitol.  People have adjusted to the fences and still come down to walk around and play on the Mall.

National Guard troops are monitoring the fences, there are a lot of them standing around and keeping an eye on things.

I find this juxtaposition of a high end restaurant and fences with barbed wire so close to each other.

I went down expecting the fences to be just around the United States Capitol building, but they were much more extensive. The closed off several parks, all the buildings related to the the legislature and a few more places. The fences go to Union Station, behind the Supreme Court, and even block off the Botanic Garden.  It took me an hour and a half to walk the perimeter.

Here's a reflection of the top of the Capitol dome in the windows of the Teamster's uniton.  The first floor of the building was still boarded up.