Finally, Blossoms

It’s the last day of Washington’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, and something new has been added: Cherry blossoms. They were delayed by a long spell of unseasonably cold weather. Now that spring-like temperatures are here, all the flowering plants are blooming at once. Maybe next week DC will have a National Pollen Festival.

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Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-gw8

Image (“Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms, South Carolina Avenue SE”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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DC Celebrates Cherry Blossom Festival with Bare Branches

Tourists have infested thronged Washington for the city’s annual Spring celebration, the National Cherry Blossom Festival. This year’s festival has concerts, kites, kimonos, food, fireworks ….. everything but cherry blossoms. Unseasonably cool temperatures have resulted in tiny green and pink buds but no real blossoms. The festival ends next weekend; maybe the cherry blossoms will be out by then.

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Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-gtf

Image (“DC Spring Weenies, Barracks Row“) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Cherry Blossom Webcam

Cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. It’s that time again — or is it? March temperatures have been colder than expected, so the National Park Service has pushed its peak bloom forecast from next week to April 3rd through 6th. Keep track of bloom progress with the National Park Service Cherry Blossom Webcam.

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Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-ghu

Image (“Cherry Blossom Webcam, after After Hiroshige”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Cherry Blossom Web Cam

The National Park Service Cherry Blossom Web Cam is in full bloom. Use it to view the seasonal beauty surrounding Washington’s Tidal Basin before the fragile flowers are gone. Due to Global Climate Change, the cherry trees began blooming well before the traditional date of Washington’s biggest annual festival.

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Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-cPf

Image (“Cherry Blossom Viewing at the Tidal Basin, after Hiroshige”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license. Credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Cherry Blossoms

As Washington’s famed cherry blossoms are poised to reach their peak, let us take a moment to reflect on the land of their origin, Japan.

Done? Okay, back to DC.

In keeping with the gentle, contemplative nature of the Japanese blossom-viewing tradition, Washington visitors can take part in the Cherry Blossom Rugby Tournament, Cherry Blossom Festival Gala Dinner Cruise, Cherry Blossom Family Bike Rally, Cherry Blossom Classic Golf Tournament, Cherry Blossom Festival Pink Tie Party,  and Cherry Blast Dance Party.

Cherry Blossom Web Cam 2010

On March 6th we reported that the National Park Service Cherry Blossom Web Cam was still showing a gray scene from last winter.  A few days later the NPS Tidal Basin web cam site posted the message “Coming Soon!”

Today’s update: April 3, 2010 — the Web Cam page is completely blank and the link has been removed.

 

Image (“Cherry Blossom Viewing at the Tidal Basin, after Hiroshige”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license. Credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Beaver Apes Poodle

Washington’s National Cherry Blossom Festival begins today, and any naughty children attending will be disciplined by huge, frightening  Paddles the Beaver.  The man-sized mascot is new, inspired by the Potomac beavers who felled several of DC’s cherry trees back in 1999.

Macon Georgia hosts the annual International Cherry Blossom Festival, and the mascot down there for the past few years has been Petals the Poodle, based on a real-life pink poodle named Lacie.

Coincidence?

Image and haiku by Mike Licht, based on a classic Japanese ukiyo-e print. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license. Credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Early Cherry Blossom Season

Washington’s National Cherry Blossom Festival® begins next weekend, but this Friday is the start of “The Pinkest Party on Earth,” the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia. Unlike the crass commercialism of DC’s event (“Brought to You by Target“), the spring observance in Macon preserves the serene, graceful, and contemplative customs of traditional Japanese hanami (花見 lit. “flower viewing”):  the Bed Race, the Sea Lion Splash, Pink Pancake Breakfast, Lawnmower Races, Pink Tutu Ballet, Amazing Animal Athletes, and that ancient Asian delicacy, pink grits.

Macon also has poodles. Pink poodles. 

Cherry Blossoms Bloom — On DC TV

The snow has melted, but Washington’s cherry trees are bare – except on public television. WETA is running a program called The Washington Cherry Blossoms: Beauty on the Basin, and sun-washed pink blooms wave across your TV screen, accompanied by inoffensive music.

Cherry Blossom Webcam

The sun is shining and Washington has warmed up a bit, but the National Park Service Cherry Blossom web cam displays a chilly, gray winter image from 2009 (above). Nice work, people.

DC’s 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival  starts in three weeks and runs from March 27th to April 11th. Peak blossom time is usually around April 4th. Maybe the blossom web cam will be working by then.

 

The image above is a copy, grabbed 6 March 2010. The “live” feed – from last Christmas — is here. The publicity campaign for the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival began some weeks ago.

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