Cherry Blossom Festival

I've been traveling back and forth to Washington DC off and on for the past three years. During that time, you'd think I would have seen the cherry trees in bloom, but somehow I've missed them - that is until this past weekend. We got up early and loaded our bikes into the back of the truck heading out to Dulles Airport to pick up Jacob. His 7:30AM flight was on time, so we decided to have breakfast on Capitol Hill, then visit Eastern Market. Eastern Market is Dianne's favorite place to spend a weekend morning. She loves the crafts and jewelry tables, and the farmer's market is always stocked with the freshest fruits and vegetables. Many of the Market's permanent vendors know her by name as she buys as frequently as possible from the butcher shops, cheese stands, and seafood stores. It's become more than a shopping trip but also a social event. I've never been with her when she hasn't ran into friends at the market. Saturday was no exception as we had just crossed the street when we bumped into some of our favorite people. After our shopping trip we jumped on the bikes and peddled past the Capitol and down to the National Mall. The festival brings in lots of visitors, so all the monuments were very crowded. I decided that bicycle riding is by far the best way to avoid traffic and get around on the Mall. We narrowly avoided collisions with oblivious tourists as we made our way past the Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson Memorials, then beneath the blossoms and around the tidal basin. Jacob wanted to visit "The Awakening" so we biked out along the Potomac River to Hains Point. Coming back, we stopped by the bustling Fish Market before peddling back up Capitol Hill to our starting point behind the Supreme Court. I guess our trek was 10 miles or so and we were pretty tired by the time it ended. The cherry trees certainly lived up to their reputation and I think we all had great fun. -S