Spring Again in DC

In my book, spring in DC officially starts when the cherry blossoms bloom.  The peak this year was 4/8-4/10 and we made a special point to go see them Tuesday after work when it was a perfect 75-80 degrees.  I've heard that in Japan they celebrate cherry blossoms because of their fleeting beauty.  It's their version of stopping to smell the roses, I guess.  Even though we've lived here three years and can easily see the tidal basin in bloom, I feel like the year we fail to make time to do so is the year we probably need to move away from DC because that means that life has become too urban or busy.  If you can't stop and appreciate those special things that come along infrequently then you're not really living, right?

 Here are some photos of the family with the trees.  We walked from Nathan's office near the Washington Monument, along the Tidal Basin to FDR, then found a much less-crowded trail along the river to the Lincoln Memorial where I decided to hop onto a Capital Bikeshare bike back to the metro (because walking that far is just not as much fun with 25 extra pounds).

 On Friday, we also took Alison to get her first haircut!  She screamed bloody murder until I pointed out the happy 5-year-old who'd just finished his haircut.  With two lollypops and a bucket of toys, the rest was easy and now Alison no longer looks like a wild child....most of the time.

MLK

I love it when people visit because it gives me a good excuse to wander around the National Mall.  Two days after Alison's birthday and only one full week after it opened to the public, I stood in front of a towering Martin Luther King, Jr staring at me with a stern look on his face that could only mean: our work in this country to improve civil liberties is not finished.

Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope

It was crowded, and probably the most diverse crowd I've ever seen in a National Park.  I most enjoyed bumping into our favorite ranger, who had wandered over after a failed attempt to gather people for a bird hike.

Ranger Nathan King who gets asked often if he is related to MLK.

That day we also discovered a great place to cool our feet and relax...

 National Sculpture Garden Fountain

...and Alison enjoyed wandering around the FDR memorial with her grandparents.

Maybe next time I'll be able to successfully talk someone into paddle-boating on the tidal basin with me!