Archive for April, 2006

I’m sure I’m not the only one who read this as “…IKEA to Pressure Iran”:

U.S. May Ask IAEA to Pressure Iran – Yahoo! News

Let me die in spring
under the blossoming trees,
let it be around
that full moon
of Kisaragi month
– Saigyo

A lovely spring night
suddenly vanished while we viewed cherry blossoms
–Basho

In a Station of The Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
– Ezra Pound

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I’m not sure I’d go as far as Saigyo, but I do have a strong affinity for the magical, delicate quality of cherry trees blossoming en masse. I’ve always been a sucker for spring and blooming trees, and I even find myself being mesmerized by the cherry trees that dot the entry to the apartment complex where I live, much like others find their own private Cherry Blossom Festivals in their backyards. We were fortunate enough to be able to head downtown this past Saturday to the real deal. We almost decided against going, due to some clouds rolling through, but pressed on and were rewarded greatly for our perseverance.

Even though the sky was overcast and threatened rain, a lot of other people had the same idea and the metro was fairly crowded all along the Blue route. We decided to jump to the Yellow line and got off at L’Enfant Plaza… which meant a bit more walking, but we saw some other sites along the way and got to take a look at a distant view of the tidal basin, as well as walking past some interesting train tracks and buildings. While we made our way toward the Washington Monument and the tidal basin area, the sky seemed to darken more and the wind picked up a little bit … blowing the dust from the dry well worn lawn areas around. However as we rounded the corner and a haze of pink started to take over the landscape, I didn’t care if it started to pour at that minute, the sight was well worth any soaking we might have received. Fortunately, though, we didn’t have to worry about that. The gray sky stuck around for a bit and the wind persisted, but in time, cleared out after 45 minutes or so, leaving us with a breezy, sunny and lovely rest of the day.

It was midday so we grabbed a sandwich, chips and a drink at the refreshments tent and split our lunch under a cherry tree, watching people pass and the branches thick with blossoms weave and bob in the breeze. I’d read reports that the blossoms were at their peak bloom on March 30th, so we were there a few days after that… and I think that’s really the most perfect time. The trees are at their maximum showiness and you can get the full effect of swarms and swarms of boughs full of pink clouds enveloping the area. At the same time you can enjoy the dreamy feeling of petals whispering through the air and falling down like snow each time a breeze happens by. There are approximately 3,700 cherry trees in Washington, DC of several varieties and in the two week span (or so) of flowering, the area surrounding the Tidal Basin is transformed into another world… perhaps you are in a remote Japanese mountain village with Basho or Saigyo… or even another planet where trees are pink, people don’t mind so much being crowded together and you don’t think twice about paying $3 for a Bomb Pop. Washington during this time is as nice of a place as I can think of … and with the luck of the weather and the timing of our visit, we felt like secret witnesses to a supernatural phenomenon.

We eventually walked down to the Jefferson Memorial (and to the gift shop, of course), completely around the tidal basin, through the FDR memorial and back where we started from near the Washington Monument. We had the extra treat of happening upon the Tulip Library. It was a great day to be out and even though April showers have come back to the area, there’s nothing like spending the day surrounded by trees exploding in color to remind you that spring is here and there is always the promise of hope carried on the wind, dancing like cherry blossom petals along the water.

To relive this little trip with us, without the allergies, just click here for the slideshow.