Saturday, Summer, and the Farmers' Market

Today was one of those days where the family collectively got a wild notion to get out and do some heavy-duty walking -- and that we did. We loaded up the little one in her stroller and headed off for the weekend farmers' market in downtown Falls Church. The weather was very nice (at least at the beginning of our walk; it was fairly oppressive by the time we returned) and we made quick work of the first leg from our house to The Falls Church.

A stop in the shaded churchyard was most definitely in order, and so we took the opportunity to enjoy the nice breeze and some of the historic surroundings. The Falls Church, the Episcopal parish for the town, was designed by the cousin of Sir Christopher Wren and definitely matches the style of the old colonial-era buildings that are so prevalent in this area and in the corridor down along the coast to Williamsburg. It has a wonderful "old" feel to it and makes for a terrific place to rest and get recharged -- especially in the midst of a marathon walk. While my wife and I sat on an old bench and enjoyed the breeze, our little historian decided to get out and see what she could discover about the tenants of the churchyard.

My wife is much more enthusiastic about the whole farmers' market thing than I am, and so I took our daughter a few blocks further into town to the park to let her indulge in frequent trips down the slide and on the swingset. The air was alive with the electricity that all of the children whose parents had the same idea as us were generating -- the running around, the laughter, the excited chatter, and the happy shouts of, "Mommy! Daddy! Watch me!"

It's great to let kids get out and play, and part of me feels almost guilty when we have to remind ours that we do have a walk back to the house ahead of us. But the wonderful thing is that summer is far from over, and we can enjoy many more walks and many more trips to the park.