Time to visit Mollie! I woke up (alarm needed) at 0545 (still at John and Kelly's home). Outside, it was raining pretty heavily. Because I had an early dental cleaning appointment, I got ready and packed up my car. There was just enough time to play with Gipper... At 0630. I said goodbye to John and Kelly and then drove a short distance (part of the drive was on I-495) to the Annandale area of Alexandria. By the time I arrived at Reflection Dental (0645), the rain was tapering off and the temps had settled at 64 F. Starting at 0700, I got my teeth cleaned by my old friend, Richard - it was good to see him again. During the visit, I got some new Invisalign retainers (lower side). The office had also introduced some new AI tools and it was interesting to see what "Big Brother" thought about our conversations and the teeth scans. I made a mental note to remember to bring up these items to my son in law, Austin, when I saw him later in the week. From the dentist's office, I drove a short distance through school zones and heavy traffic to a Panera Bread location near Edsel Road. I arrive there at 0815 and went into the restaurant to order some breakfast (used the kiosk) - I got an egg sandwich and fruit cup. After that, I settled down into a booth and started teleworking. This was a late start for me... During this window, I made plans to meet up with Mollie at her school - that will be cool! Work progressed nicely and I stayed in the restaurant (during meetings I had) until 1100. After that, took a break from work and started driving south (via I-395 and I-95) . On the way, I listened to audiobooks. Meanwhile, the weather continued improving and I decided that it might be good to stop for some outdoor activity. I was very close to the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge so got off the Interstate to visit it (arrived at 1115). There were no other people or cars at the Visitor Center so I enjoyed some solitude while walking on the (easy) trail network there. Along the way, I encountered (mostly through the Merlin App) more than 20 species of birds. I'd almost forgotten about the "outside world" when I suddenly encountered a man along the trail. He told me where to go for more bird sightings and I took his advice - this yielded some waterfowl (including an osprey). I was finished with my walk at 1150 and then texted Mollie that I was on my way to her location (a Middle School in Stafford). After using US-1 and the Prince William Parkway to reach I-95, I found myself in the middle of a long funeral procession on the Interstate! A flag draped coffin in the hearse gave me the impression that this might be a cortege for a Marine Corps Veteran who was going to buried at Quantico. This reminded me of our Virginia Beach neighbor, Mr. Newkirk (RIP)... I arrived at the school at 1220 and checked in at the front office. They told me to take a seat and I thought I'd be waiting for my daughter's lunch period (1300). However, she ended up asking me to join one of her class periods already (in session) earlier than that! This led to a wonderful "Proud Dad" afternoon. Mollie’s Sixth Grade Science Classroom was filled with little "Mollie-touches" and the kids were very interested to meet me. With class material being reviewed and interesting multi-media tools being used, it was amazing to watch my daughter in action. It was clear that she is quite good at filling young minds with scientific knowledge and work ethics. About 20 minutes after I arrived, we moved to the Cafeteria, where I picked up lunch for myself (chicken alfredo with broccoli, a pear and strawberry milk) and Mollie (chicken sandwich, carrot sticks and chocolate milk). Back in Mollie's classroom, I got to enjoy some time with kids who'd actually signed up to pepper me with questions. They asked me about Mollie as a child, things that I had done in my career, whether I was proud of my daughter and whether I liked "Mr. S" (Mollie's boyfriend). I did my best to answer and Mollie was very obliging to the students. Eventually, though, she resumed her instruction and the kids forgot about my visit. After nearly two hours with Mollie's students, I goodbye to my daughter (1420), I headed towards Fredericksburg. By then, the weather was mostly warm (high 60s) and the skies were overcast. Fortunately, traffic was not bad and I arrived at Alex and Mollie's home at about 1500. Mollie had given me a key so I was able to resume teleworking immediately. During this window, I'd hoped to play with Maple (who was home in her crate) but she seemed afraid of me (or unsettled without her humans?). In the end, I only let her out and she sat quietly until Alex and Mollie arrived at the house (1700). Meanwhile, I finished my teleworking (I also used some leave to cover the time in the NWR and at Mollie's school). With the work day completed, I joined my daughter on a nice walk near the apartment complex (1715). Along the way, we spotted a pretty bluebird and had a really nice conversation. Back at the apartment, Mollie made something she called "chorizo dirty rice" for our dinner. It was very good and I had a nice time talking to Alex and Mollie while we ate. We also enjoyed some wine that Mollie had gotten at the Dollar General (she was proud of the money saved). Afterwards, Mollie gave me some of my mail that had been delivered since my last visit. More funny: Mollie checked her mailbox that evening and found that three out of four of the items in there were for me! We capped off the evening by watching "License to Wed" movie. At 2145, we said good night and I adjourned to the guest room. For the rest of the evening, I did some reading and Duolingo in bed - I didn't turn out the light until 2300. What a great day in Virginia - I really enjoyed watching my daughter succeed in her new career!
