March 2011 is officially off the book.  It came in as a lamb and went out as a lion, well sort of.  At the beginning of the month, it was sunny and warm but by the end of the month it was cold and wet, dampening my excitement and anticipation for the Cherry Blossoms.  The only good thing is we didn’t have any signification amount of snow, so I have to give the groundhog some credit for its un-scientific prediction.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have built up a lot of excitement about this year’s Cherry Blossoms.  One of the nice things about carpooling is 3 days a week I don’t have to drive.  So I just sit back, relax and view the scenery.  Each season has its beauty, but there is no better time to look at the scenery than in the spring around the Tidal Basin.

Upon approaching Washington D.C. on I-66 East, as soon as we cross the Theodore Roosevelt bridge leaving the state of Virginia behind, we are faced with amazing views under the early sunlight.  In front of us is the Washington Monument.  On our right side is the Potomac River where I can see teams of people row-boating on the river almost everyday now. The scene is so peaceful, so tranquil, and so romantic!  As we approach the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin, it seems like we are greeted by many beautiful women, each with her own charm and beauty, inviting us to get out of the car and admire.  Today is the last day of the peak blooming period (March 29 through April 1) this season.  Our commute to and from work almost circles the basin so by just sitting in the car we can see the flowers, even not up-close but from many different angles. Watching the flowers from the day they first form until they are in full bloom is like watching a young and beautiful woman grows up.

My office is within walking distance from the Tidal Basin so I had planned to take a long lunch this week to see the flowers and take some pictures, but the rain and the cold weather ruined my plan.  Therefore, I have to use the pictures someone collected from www.msnbc.com to show you at https://sites.google.com/site/nhactho/hinh-anh/cherry-blossoms-2011.

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Washing D.C. has started last weekend and continues through April 10.  As we admire the beauty of the flowers these trees bring every spring, it would me amiss if I don’t mention the fact that many of them were donated to the U.S. from Japan.   A few weeks ago Japan suffers devastating damages from a strong earthquake and tsunami.  Our hearts and thoughts are with Japan and its people.  May their samurai spirit gives them more courage to endure the difficulties and protects them from unknown dangers in the days and years ahead.