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The Flaming Canoe

By Emmet Rosenfeld — April 08, 2007 1 min read
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Or, Spring Break’s Sprung.

Nearly a month ago, I wrote about putting one foot in front of the other as I trudged through Entry One (“Day by Day”, March 10). Here is another week-in-the-life now that I’m done with the portfolio, to show how much lighter my step has become. While there’s not much about National Board per se, Tuesday’s overnight trip was a memorable stage in the canoe project I wrote about for Entry Four.

Sunday
Ran 10 miles along Rock Creek Parkway with 18,000 like-minded souls during the 35th annual Cherry Blossom Classic (and walked another six to and from various metro stops).

Monday
Took two-year old Will to historical Oxon Hill Farm on a glorious morning and fed an entire bag of carrots to a couple tired old horses whose knees looked as sore as mine.

Tuesday
Cooked cobbler in Dutch ovens on a flaming canoe at George Washington’s Mount Vernon with a full moon overhead as a gaggle of tenth graders pack Potomac clay on the downwind wall to control the rate of the burn.

Wednesday
Sneaked into a ghost school to knock off end of quarter grading I’d put off while finishing Entry One. Rewarded myself with a trip to the fishing store in Arlington to buy a sinking line for my fly rod.

Thursday
Went shad fishing on the Potomac River at Fletcher’s Cove, a storied hot spot for the spring run of this migratory fish, only to find myself in a circle of hell Dante forgot to write about: a guy twenty feet down the bank from me caught a fish every fourth cast while I got skunked.

Friday
Start in on punchlist items including hanging a shed door and cleaning up the long-neglected yard. Cap off the industrious morning on the sun-washed back deck with an after-lunch nap over the New Yorker.

Saturday
Woke up the morning before Easter to a surreal snow-scape, crocuses covered with a delicate dusting of surprise April powder. Painting trim in the house carries the theme inside and completes the “Honey-Do” list.

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