I was unable to see the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin in DC this year. I did not see them last year either. I saw many cherry trees blooming around Northern Virginia but I have not been into Washington proper since the Library of Congress closed down on March 12, 2020. And, that is a strange thought.
Separated from it by the Potomac River, my only glimpses of the nation’s capital during quarantine have been the towering Washington Monument and the Georgetown waterfront as I turn onto the pike en route to work. I broke a glass from CB2 fixing caipirinhas one day and thought I’d walk across the Key Bridge for a replacement but I have yet to do so. I miss walking along M St NW but I have not been into DC in over 13 months now.
Yet, as much as I missed the cherry blossoms this year, a friend of mine shared an even more unforgettable experience with me: bluebells in the Manassas battlefields. Growing in the underbrush along Bull Run, bluebells carpeted the woods in every direction as far as I could see. It very much reminded me of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirrors except I was not confined by a boxed room. There was an unusual tranquility and rejuvenating freshness about this experience, free of charge and free from crowds. A wonderful little secret and I hope this trip becomes a new tradition for springtime.
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