When we last lived here for five years, I managed to miss the cherry blossoms every single year. Maybe I forgot, or a rain or cold spell knocked them down unexpectedly early but, for five years, I didn’t make it to the city in time to see them before we moved away.

The cherry blossoms honor us for a very short period, one maybe two weeks, before giving way to the dark green leaves. They are as fragile as the are beautiful so they are easily knocked by wind, rain, or frost.

Last year I got to the Tidal Basin way too late and, while walking, found one lone blossom:

Still, I was happy and think I put it to good use in this picture.

This year, I saw an announcement that the peak blossoms date was moved up a week because of unseasonably warm weather. I marked my calendar and became hellbent on seeing the pastel pink fireworks with my very own eyes.

We ubered over and jumped out of the car on a red light, to the immense relief of the uber driver, when we realized it was going to take 30 minutes to go a quarter mile. We weren’t the only ones there to see the blossoms. It was sunny and bright and there was a cool breeze as we walked very quickly past the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. I was on a mission with a very specific goal in mind and I didn’t stop until I was at the water’s edge.

The crowds were thick and everyone was taking the exact same photos but I was in cherry blossom heaven. It was beautiful and I’m sorry it took so long to get it right.