The Cherry Blossom Festival Begins

Well the Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing here in DC and I've already been enjoying some of the activities. Saturday they had a kite festival at the Washington Monument. The weather was not ideal-a slow drizzle all day and very little wind. We saw quite a few kites out, but I'm guessing with some sun and wind it would have been even better.

The cherry trees were a gift given by the Japanese to the US so they try to incorporate some of the Japanese culture into the festival. Saturday afternoon we also went to the opening ceremonies where we saw an incredible dancer and watched a performance of a Japanese women's group doing a percussion and dancing routine-we loved it! Additionally we heard from some local dignitaries-none of which I had ever heard of, and the Japanese ambassador.

The trees are getting prettier each day and I hope to spend some more time outside getting some better pictures of them soon.