Auroraadvocate.com - Out Of the Gray: D.C. blossoms chase away winter

by Lauren Krupar

Hudson Hub-Times associate editor

Spring has not yet come to Northeast Ohio. Leaves are still tightly wrapped against the winter winds, and snow drops are the only bulbs to have broken through the frozen earth successfully.

Our world is defined by muted grays, browns and whites, with an occasional splash of blue sky. The grass is a sickly tint of green caused by the winter snows and lack of sunshine.

And there is always the ominous threat of snow, which has been reported in Ohio as late as May. The calendar may say spring, but it's a bit premature.

There is hope. Winter will end and spring will begin, eventually.

For all those doubters out there who look at our lake-effect driven region and despair, here's a snapshot of hope.

More than 300 miles southeast of here, color has exploded like a kid gone wild with a new box of crayons.

The ground is lined with pansy flowers, crocuses, daffodils and even tulips. Those silly snow drops we have are long gone.

Even the trees have blossomed as apple, magnolia, forsythia and the occasional dogwood have flowered from the gentle spring sun.

But the prize of all made the more than five-hour drive to Washington, D.C., worthwhile. It simply saturated the city with color, petals and a heavenly scent some perfumer somewhere must be desperately trying to capture.

The cherry blossoms were in bloom.

FORGET THE noisy summer crowds and the hot muggy days of July, August and even September. Forget the dazzling lights of the city at Christmas time.

This short two weeks when the more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees bloom are when the city is at its finest.

Tens of thousands of visitors flocked to the tidal basin March 29, the official kickoff day for the annual cherry blossom festival.

Thousands more attended the Washington Nationals exhibition game, the Smithsonian kite festival and the National Marathon, prompting transportation officials to begin running the Metro two hours early.

There were people everywhere. They lined the wall surrounded the tidal basin of the Jefferson Memorial.

They littered the Mall with string and colorful kites that occasionally dive-bombed a passing pedestrian. They filled Metro stations for hours without end. They took over the streets.

Despite all the busyness, many seemed content to sit under the cherry blossoms and continue a centuries-old tradition akin to the "ohm" moments of yoga.

People slowed down when walking past the trees. They stopped as they approached the tidal basin. They sat down, happy to be surrounded by the beauty of spring.

I was lucky. I got a first taste of spring at the cherry blossom festival March 29, and I can't wait to see Ohio bloom.

Spring is coming. Pass it on.

E-mail: lkrupar@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146