Santa Skis At The National Harbor

One of the things we did during the Christmas weekend is watch the water ski stunts at the National Harbor. What's intriguing is that the skiers were in Christmas costumes. It was so chili that day that Kepi got sick the next day. Obviously, the water is cold at this time of year and I was impressed how the skiers took the waters and went on with their show anyway.

The National Harbor Christmas Tree. This is the area where the water skiers performed.

A dog elf.

Frosty the snowman on a boat.

The water skiing reindeers.

A flying elf.

An elf sky skiing.

This is the Grinch, who couldn't get his jet ski started.

Of course - water skiing Santa.

Santa did well skiing. My only comment is that this is one fit Santa.

ICE! At The Potomac

On Saturday evening, PW and I got two tickets for a 7:00 PM entrance to see ICE! How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is according to the Gaylord National website, an indoor wonderland where your family can explore 10 different holiday scenes created entirely of two-million pounds of ice, including thrilling ice slides that stand more than 2 stories tall. ICE! is hand-sculpted by 40 international artisans and kept at a chilling 9 degrees!

And yes, it was freezing inside the dome. Three rules apply when you're going to see ICE:  (1) no touching; (2) no sitting; and, (3) no licking of any of the ice sculptures.
 

All visitors are given a parka before entry.

That mischievous smile.

Impressive ICE!

National Harbor

Well, well, well, it's finally Friday. It's been a rough week for me - two days of pouring rain, 270 gridlock, board meeting and job stress, some sleepless nights and more. I'm so grateful it's Friday and sweet weekend awaits where I can sleep late and unwind. I apologize to those working on the weekends.

Anyway, what better way to end the week by sharing some relaxing photos from Maryland's National Harbor. Relax and enjoy.

Docked boats

National Harbor's marina

Fountain

Fountain at the Gaylord National Hotel with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the Potomac River as background

Obstacle course or ship

I saw this kid zipping through the course

And the dad followed

Happy weekend!

The Awakening

Although autumn officially arrived last week, it was still uncomfortably hot on Saturday. But we still managed to drive (about an hour) and spend a few hours at the National Harbor. It was nice to walk around the banks of the Potomac,  enjoy the refreshing view of the Potomac River and watch from afar cars crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The place reminds of Bronte Park in Ontario because of the marina and the numerous floating yachts and boats of all sizes. I wanted to take a lot of photos, but the sweltering sun combined with the hot sand was too much to handle and finding respite from the heat was a priority.

For me, the highlight of visiting the National Harbor is to see the five-piece sculpture of J. Seward Johnson called "The Awakening." This sculpture was

Part of the 11th Annual Sculpture Conference in 1980, which included the installation of 500 pieces of public art throughout Washington, D.C., “The Awakening” is a cast aluminum sculpture depicting the arousing of a bearded giant. The piece is actually five separate ones – head, hand, outstretched arm, bent knee and foot – arranged in such a fashion as to suggest that the giant is breaking free from the confines of the earth. (Source: http://www.nationalharbor.com/Events.aspx?id=658)

The entirety of J. Seward Johnson’s Five-Piece Sculpture.

I wanted to take a photo of the Giant's face but every single time I try there's someone posing for a photo. I'd like to go back there again especially when fall temperatures have comfortably set in. Hopefully, I'll be able to get better shots of the sculpture.