2007 Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday

The 2007 Cherry Blossom Festival is the 95th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to Washington, DC in 1912. Every year in February we start the cherry blossom watch. The experts monitor them, the TV stations and residents wonder if the winter was too harsh, if the spring will be mild, if we will have a frost after the buds begin to expand... But the cherry trees never disappoint us. It's a breathtaking sight. The trees are now covered in pink and white flowers. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world come to Washington, DC for the festival every year. The trees stay in bloom for up to 14 day, however this timeframe could be shorter depending on the weather.

We took a stroll around the Tidal Basin on Saturday. The weather wasn't great - it was cloudy and windy - but it was nice to walk 3 miles around the Tidal Basin having trees blooming above our head, a view of the Potomac River, the Washington Monument (pictured above) and Jefferson Memorial (pictured below).

The crowds can be a little daunting around this time of the year. The paddle boats are a great option for some quiet time. It's so much fun to be so close to the blossoms yet so far from the crowd.

During our lap around the Tidal Basin, we longed for a hot drink. We were 1 block away from my office, so I knew that area well. We didn't want to go to a packed coffee shop. I suggested a coffee shop inside a bookstore only 1 block from the crowds. Since the coffee shop is in the mezzanine level, you can't see it from outside. Total bliss! the tourists didn't know about that coffee shop. We had a latte sitting comfortably inside. My husband, our baby, a couple of friends with their adorable baby and I sat there, sipped our lattes, played with our babies, talked, and drove home. What a nice way to spend a Saturday!