The pink petals of Japanese trees bring a mania to this city. It’s called Cherry Blossom Madness.
It leads you to do totally insane things, like run down to the Tidal Basin at dawn to get a glimpse of these trees in the warm morning light. And I am not a morning person at all. Yet, I left my apartment and ran through the purple pre-dawn light to the Mall.
As I reached the Lincoln Memorial, the eastern sky exploded in red, bathing the city in a scarlet glow. I haven’t seen a day that beautiful since the blizzard. The range of red and pink tones in the sky was jaw-dropping, proof that nature can come up with a better palette than any artist.
There were already crowds at the Tidal Basin, every photographer hoping for the perfect picture of the Jefferson Memorial, cherry blossoms and dawn. I snapped a few photos with my iPhone 6. I think there was some futz on the lens because they look a little blurry, like a Monet painting. The only editing I did was in the Photos app and that was pretty minor.
Then, after about five minutes, I headed home, leaving this transcendent scene for the mundane world of work. Here’s to next year and another round of Cherry Blossom Madness.
