Though a long time resident of DC i had never paid a visit to the cherry blossoms festival that takes place around March every year. I decided to make this year an exception :).
Supposedly United states of America got these trees in exchange for the bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The festival lasts for two weeks and I decided to show up there for the official cherry blossom parade which is a long-stand
ing Washington tradition featuring marching bands, floats, balloons, and other family entertainment. The festival is marked by the peak bloom period of the flowers. I can go ahead and talk about the trees but you can probably learn more from wikipedia. My mom used to tell me that if you see thousand people a day you can get rid of that particular day's sins committed by you. Though lost in translation from Tamil to English watching a lot of people at the same place indeed gives one a bit of happiness and change in atmosphere from day to day lives.
Though the walking up and down the streets of DC took a toll on my legs i decided to brave it and go visit a state park in Virginia 20 miles from DC called the Mason Neck state park. I liked it much better than the Cherry Blossoms since it was totally quiet and once i got on a trail and was in the middle of the woods all i could hear was the sounds of nature. I would recommend anyone to spend sometime in the woods once a week to get off from the hustle and bustle of the cities and to get some fresh air. It is truly relaxing and rejuvenating and a much recommended weekend activity. The Mason Neck woods are situated in Lorton. The park boasts several hundred acres of hardwood forests consisting of oaks, holly, hickory and other species of trees. In addition, several wetland areas are also found in Mason Neck.The park is famous for the presence of migratory birds most notable among which is the bald eagle which i had the privilege of seeing flying over my head.
Before leaving i want to let you come up with your own reasoning for the way the branches are placed over the tree in the picture here. I remember the story of Salem witches and something to do with trees and branches.
Until next time adieu!
