March 23, 2024 – Roadkill Crossing

Cherry blossoms line the western Tidal Basin with Arlington, Virginia, in the background. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh

Since childhood, I have wanted to see the beautiful cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.. That was a long time ago for this grandfather.

I saw calendar photos displaying these historic trees’ beauty year after year. It wasn’t just the trees’ pleasing pink color. The symmetry of the blooming ornamentals, as they curved around the Tidal Basin, drew me into the photo. Add in the Washington Monument in the background, and I was hooked. I had to see that inspiring scene for myself.

As much as my wife and I like to travel over our 53 years of marriage, I’m not sure what took me so long to make the trip. Age and the process of life’s activities getting in the way of my pursuit dulled my desire.

Living in Ohio most of my life, the nation’s capital seemed so far away. Plus, I hesitated about traveling from our rural home to the city to view the trees. In retrospect, I realized how silly that was. But, other than television news reports, we only had a few opportunities to know the exact timing of the cherry trees’ blooming. The Internet changed that in a big way.

I discovered a blossom cam of the flowers. The National Park Service had predicted March 23 as the peak blooming time this year, but watching the bloom cam made it clear that the peak would occur much earlier.

I had no excuse this time, mainly since we now lived less than three hours away in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. We moved there seven years ago to be close to three of our four active grandchildren.

Along the walkway to the Jefferson Memorial. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh

The first full day of spring promised to be mostly sunny and warm, perfect for snapping photos. The morning sunshine would highlight the trees along the western rim.

I left home early, but it needed to be earlier. The drive in heavy traffic took me three and a half hours to arrive at a parking lot near the Jefferson Memorial.

Everything was perfect. The crowds were yet to appear, giving me and many other photographers plenty of space to capture our desired angles and subject matters.

Forsythia, weeping cherry, and pink magnolia.
Students gather at the Jefferson Memorial.
The walkway around the western rim of the Tidal Basin.
Beneath the blossoms.
Cherry blossoms in different stages.
A walkway at the FDR Memorial.
Photo op.
The view from a bridge.
Walking the dog.
Against the sky.

Several people in various attire mingled at the Jefferson Memorial. Professional and amateur photographers clicked away at couples in frilly gowns and fancy suits and high school and college graduates in flowing robes. Teachers and adult chaperones of elementary, middle, and high school student groups herded their darlings into huddles for impromptu lessons.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

As I continued my stroll around the basin, the blossoms brought out the best in people. Strangers offered to take photos of couples trying to take the perfect selfie. A man dressed as Santa Claus strolled beneath the blossoms, bringing unexpected cheer to young and old alike.

The best time for photographs waned as the sun drew higher in the sky. People greeted me with smiles and verbal hellos as I walked beneath canopies of blossoms, returning to my car.

Such pleasantries sweetened the fragrance of the thousands upon thousands of pale pink blossoms. Witnessing humanity’s kindness stirred a joyous surprise that put photography into its proper perspective.