I predict...

No, no, not a snow total, but accumulation nonetheless.

Mark my words, starting between the second and third week of November our area will experience a little baby boom.

Seriously, there's only so much TV you can watch and naps you can take. I've seen it after long troop deployments, hurricanes, blackouts and all the rest. People are trapped inside and nature will take it's course.

In short, there's a lot of sex going on this weekend. More than usual.

We'll check back on this in November and see if the area's birth stats show a little spike.

That said, I'm heading out in the weather. I'd thought about trying to get downtown, but the weather sucks a bit too much for that. So I'm going to take a walk around the 'hood and see what I can see.

Pictures at 11 (so to speak).

And it begins...

Well, it's snowing in Falls Church. Right on the 10 a.m. estimate I've been hearing for three days. That's some good predicting (TWSS).

I'm all set. Kinda like the guy in Highlander (the one who thought he could take out The Kurgan with a machine gun), I'm ready for the end of the world. As long as it happens this weekend, if not I'll have to go out for more supplies. I was out at the Teeter last night, and I saw a news story that said the Whole Paycheck on P had to close its doors and let people in like it was Studio 54, and judging by those crowds, well, golly, you'd think Bobby Lee was on his way north to Washington again.

Now all I have to wait for is the word the office is closing and we can leave. Then I can go wait for my bus. Sigh.

In the snow.

At least I have my camera.

A trudge around the Mall

Like all of us here in the D.C. area, when I went to bed Friday night the snow had started falling. When I got up Saturday morning, it was still falling and it kept falling all day long.

So, like any normal, insane person, I decided the best thing to do was head out for a walk around the National Mall to take some pictures. A walk around the Mall through at least 12 inches of snow. More of a trudge, if you like. I did come to one conclusion Saturday morning during my journey: It's was a good thing I don't have covered parking. Cause if I did I wouldn't have made it nearly as far as I did. I'd initially bundled up the top half of me - shirt, fleece, shell, hat, gloves - but neglected the bottom half, on which I was only wearing jeans, boots and wool socks.

In the process of brushing the 8-to-10 inches of snow off my car I decided I was stupid and should probably head back inside and fix this oversight. On went the polypro long-johns, polypro sock liners and ski pants.

Much better.

Surprisingly, West Potomac Drive was cleared of snow and, more importantly, the usual hoard of cars belonging to bikers and joggers was blissfully absent so I had my choice of parking.

My journey from there was long and hard...err, anyway. I started at the Korean War Memorial and headed from there to the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam veterans memorials (the statue, Wall and Women's Memorial) and down to the World War II Memorial. Strangely, the water in the fountains at the WWII memorial was on. So much the better.

Although not usually a long walk, it took me about two hours to reach this point. I was still toasty and dry due to my wise wardrobe choices, but it's a bit of a chore walking in snow (that's why man invented skis) so I decided to head home.

Alas, my route took me past the Tidal Basin and, while I was able to resist the lure of the FDR Memorial and it's waterfalls, I couldn't resist the pull of the cherry trees. Despite the snow and cold, my fatigue and thirst (dehydration is also a winter danger, another staggering oversight on my part), I spent another 20 or so minutes around the Tidal Basin. The snow was coming down so hard at this point the Jefferson Memorial was invisible across the way.

You've been kind enough to read this far so I won't delay any more. Here are the results of my stroll in the snowstorm. I hope you like them.

And the irony of the whole thing? Well, not once on my walk did I slip and fall, even on the really slick steps up to the Lincoln Memorial or the path along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. But Sunday afternoon? Well, as I went out to dig my car out for the third time this weekend - BAM! I fell on my ass. And, for those of you who know me, well, you know that's a long fall and a lot of ass hitting the ground in a heap.

I think the bruise may invent some new hues before it's done.