hanami, anyone?

This month has been a rough one for the kids. Runny noses, junky coughs, teething, and fevers galore. As for myself, so far I have been successful in warding off these evil viruses with massive daily doses of vitamin C and spoonfuls of raw garlic. One thing good that has come about this month as it does every year about this time here in southern California, the trees, they are a' bloomin! Apple, cherry, plum, almond. I wish I could identify them all, but what an amazing sight they are. So quiet for most of the year, blending in with the surrounding green...then they pop! As if to say, "Hey! Check out how magnificent I am!" And they are.
In Japan they give proper adulation to this wonder of nature. Typically it is April when they have the hanami parties under the cherry trees. Taking time out of their busy lives to pause and soak in the beauty as well as lots of beer...not really, (really.)

We were so fortunate as to visit Japan during this season three years ago this April. Greta was 18 months old. We also had with us Gramma Peggy and Julien. We hit a few touristy places, but mostly spent our time taking walks through the cities and through the parks to admire the trees that were dripping with blossoms. It was amazing. We took probably hundreds of photos trying to capture the glory of these trees, but it was impossible.

Here are a few photos from our trip. Happy late February to all. Make time for a little hanami!