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| 3/28/26 Jefferson Memorial |
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| Washington Monument |
When I heard that Washington, DC,’s famed Tidal Basin cherry trees were expected to be at peak on the very weekend that my family would be in town, you can imagine my excitement! Petal peeping at the national level! With many years of experience sketching at the University of Washington Quad, which can attract a hanami crowd of thousands a day (a total of 40,000 during the couple of weeks that the cherries are in bloom, according to the UW), I thought I was well-trained and ready. But nothing I’ve experienced as a sketcher could have prepared me for the density of the crowd that those blossoming trees attract!
Despite that challenge, I had the opportunity to sketch the
cherries twice. The first was during Sakura Taiko Fest on the same
Saturday as the No Kings march (which was over by the time we arrived, but crowds
lingered). Along with tens of thousands of other petal peepers, I was
determined to find the picture-postcard scene I was looking for: the trees with
the stately Jefferson Memorial on the opposite side of the basin (top of post). Although the sheer quantity of blossoming trees is truly impressive, I didn't know how to show that!
Although multiple banks of porta-potties were available nearby,
lines to use them were long all day. I used the waiting time to sketch more blossoms,
this time with the Washington Monument (at right).
The following Monday, I had a slightly less congested
opportunity to sketch the trees again (though it was still amazingly crowded
for a weekday). I was happy to meet up with USk buddy Joel, whom
I have sketched with at every symposium I’ve attended as well as in Seattle a couple of years ago during Sketcher Fest. This time, he got to show me his neck
of the woods and offer helpful tips on how to tour the National Mall more humanely
(like where to find restrooms and good cafes).
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| 3/30/26 Tidal Basin |
So I’m a tourist: I couldn’t resist ghosting the Jefferson Memorial
back there behind the blossoms. The strong wind of the previous days must have
shortened the cherries’ peak considerably; petal “snowfall” was everywhere, and
the green leaves were showing through between blossoms.
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| Joel sketching cherry trees |
(Part 3 will continue with more sketching that Joel and I did that day.) |
| Me sketching from the Porta-potty line |
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| I tried to take a photo that showed the density of the Tidal Basin crowds, but I'm not sure this captures it. |
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| Tina and Joel at the Basin |
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