As a relative newcomer to D.C., one of the things I’d not seen was the cherry trees blossoming along the Tidal Basin. I made it down to the area twice this week to take some photos and take in the scene, and was simply amazed at the sheer number of blossoms and the beauty of the Basin ringed by so many budding trees.

I was also taken by the, for lack of a better word, wholesome family fun that was happening. I saw families (like the one pictured at left) enjoying the weather and the blossoms. There were gals out on the Tidal Basin in paddleboats taking pictures of the shoreline, guys reading books, and people picnicking like it was going our of style. There were also cute babies by the truckload!

It rained on me during a third excursion: Sunday, when my sister took part in the Credit Union 10-Mile Run. Now, Aislinn and I both ran cross country in high school, and we’ve did some post-school running to certain degrees. But this was her first endeavor to tackle a multi-mile race in about 10 years. She acquitted herself very well, finishing at 1:30:55, just 55 seconds off her target time.

In no small way is the Cherry Blossom Festival contributing to my love of the D.C. area in springtime (more on that in a later post), and I’m like a kid in the candy store with my camera right now. I just might turn this joint into a photoblog yet.

At any rate, there are other photos below (click for larger versions).