it's spring in d.c.: our visit to see the sakura trees

we just got back from our d.c. trip, where sakura blossoms, tulips, magnolias, dogwoods made for a showy april. d.c. is a fascinating place, and not stuffy as i had perceived it to be. it's got a lot of history, culture, interesting neighborhoods and really great restaurants, not to mention a ton of museums to while away your hours. we stopped by the white house to say 'hi' to barack, michelle and the kids on our way to the jefferson memorial, where acres of cherry blossoms graced the lawns and walkways, hovered over the potomac river and made everything glow with snowy white and pink petals.

what i didn't realize is that d.c. is so green--the city is surrounded by parks, wilderness, forests, trees and miles of hiking and biking paths; the city may be chic and urban, but you're always reminded that you're surrounded by nature. 

old abe does his best to provoke tears in us tourists, at the awe-inspiring lincoln memorial. (not shown: THRONGS of tourists, international, national, local, and just plain loco as well). 

let me go, says dylan, i've got to make sand pancakes! grunt, grunt, stomp stomp. here, cousin julia contemplates a new career as a teenage-babysitter-in-training. 

aye, aye aye! mucho gente aqui. when i get stressed, i start speaking spanish. it was a bit nerve-wracking trying to get to the trees, as lovely as they were, when you're trying to navigate amongst humanity itself. the tidal basin was awash with tourists--we're talkin' strollers, families, ice cream, lemonade stands, people posing for pictures and digital cameras being held up in the air, everywhere you looked. once we got to the trees, they were lovely, and otherworldly, ephemeral, angelic things, petals landing in your hair and at your feet.