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.