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.

Paddle Boats in the Tidal Basin

Every Friday I pick up Nathan at work and get to park in the paddle boat parking lot along the Tidal Basin.  Every Friday I think about how long paddle boating in the Tidal Basin has been on my DC checklist.  Every Friday I leave without a taste of the (surprisingly) salty sea air.  In mid-September, I finally arrived early enough mark it off my list.

Alison came with me and did a great job of not jumping into the water.  She even tried to help me paddle.

9-14-12 - My Little Helper

It was a lot of fun.  Hard work for one person, but you do get great views of the Jefferson Memorial and you could paddle to the other side and back in an hour if you were motivated.

 9-14-12 - Jefferson Memorial from the Boat

9-14-12 - Mom, What's That?!

We stayed out on the water almost 40 minutes before the novelty wore off for one of us and I was asked to go back.  I would do it again.  I wonder how long the wait is during Cherry Blossom Season?

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!