At the beginning of April, my family and I took a drive into Washington, D.C. to enjoy the cherry blossoms. It’s been years since we’ve driven downtown to see the flowers. I don’t know why this is the case, am not sure why we don’t go every year. Maybe it’s to do with the typical crowds, maybe it’s to do with the drive and typical traffic; maybe it’s to do with forgetting that the effort is worth it. Whatever the case, I’m glad we made the effort this year.
Most years, the path around the Tidal Basin (where the cherry blossoms are planted) gets very crowded during cherry blossom season. The day we went, the crowds weren’t bad at all. I imagine some of this was because the pandemic kept most people home as well as the fact that we were visiting the blossoms on a day that was very cold and very windy. It was odd to walk beneath the blossoms while the temperature hovered around freezing! We were bundled up in our winter coats-hats-gloves while the cherry blossoms danced around us in the wind. Brisk walk? Indeed.
Even though we walked around the basin faster than we’d have walked otherwise, I paused to take (many) photos. My family had to keep turning around to see that I wasn’t too far behind. It’s not that they wanted to hurry through our viewing of the blossoms, but it was COLD! And did I mention the wind?
On the day we visited, the blossoms were past their peak; many had begun fading into a papery white. All in all, though, they were lovely.
As we walked—as I paused to take pictures, then ran to catch up to my three—I kept thinking of my fellow ViewFinders sisters who live in this area (contributors, as well as some of you!). Even on a cold day like the day we visited, they’d have been pausing just like me. Even with the wind, they’d have stopped to frame the blossoms a hundred different ways. I kept thinking that maybe next year when this pandemic is behind us, we can meet up (if schedules and worlds align) and stroll the Tidal Basin together. Maybe, who knows?
Wherever you are in this wide world, whether you’ve got cherry blossoms or tulips, magnolias or still-bare trees, I hope you make some time to get outside and frame your world a hundred different ways. Look up, look down. Turn into the wind. Press the shutter. A pause with camera in hand is always worth the effort.
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Hi Michelle! Yes, I do hope I can be one of those friends who circles the Tidal Basin with you. The trip to DC is daunting because of the traffic (and I am always getting lost!), but your photos remind me that the experience of seeing the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the context of place and history is worth the drive. And your family were troopers to go along on that cold and windy day! Thank you for these beautiful views!
Donna! Wouldn’t that be fun, for the those of the VF community local-ish to DC to gather and stroll along the Tidal Basin? Maybe we can make it happen. Let’s dream on this a bit, eh? (I totally hear you on DC traffic and getting lost…but, yes, worth it. I’m so glad you enjoyed these views.) xo
Cherry blossom is my favourite when it gets to the faded, bleached stage. It’s just so perfectly delicate. Thank you for braving the traffic and cold to get these gorgeous images!
Perfectly delicate…that’s it exactly.
So happy I can share the images in this space 🙂
So beautiful!! But I wonder how they bloom if it’s so cold?
We had mild weather leading up to the week that the blossoms opened…the temperatures on the day we were there weren’t typical!
Michelle, these are so lovey. I have always wanted to see the cherry blossoms in DC, so thank you for taking this PNW girl with you.
I hope you get out this way some year to see them. It’s really lovely to walk amongst all those gorgeous blooms.