Cherry Blossom Season
Now announcing the official arrival of spring, The Cherry Blossom! Ahhh, when I started to see the effervescent pink petals floating across my social feeds I was hit with a sudden burst of nostalgia. To be in Portland, in Spring, soaking in the sprinkles of color speckling the waterfront! What joy these tree bring after a long, grey winter. To me, they always meant time to put on my bright colors and dust off the Mcmenamins patio for service....
Bright, beautiful, warmness was ahead- just the beginning of Adventure Season in the The NorthWest....and time for restaurant business to pick up, if you know what I mean.
Cherry Blossoms make up the number one fragrance in America for a reason- they embody the beginning of new life, rebirth of The Earth. It's hardly any coincidence that their peak coincides with Easter and Ostara, two Holy celebrations of fertility and immortality in the spiritual realm.
It's now that I sort of start to grumble about living in Central Oregon- the blossoms are few and far between here in the High Desert. There are certainly NONE where I live, at the base of MT. Bachelor. The year, I resigned myself to living vicariously through my valley friends, and instead dyed my hair a temporary pink.
If one can not be AT the blossoms, they must BECOME the blossoms.
Then, much to my chagrin, I was blessed with a Cherry Blossom miracle. School began full time this week and so our family decided to slip away to a less inhabited portion of The Southern Oregon Coast before the transition to all-in schooling. We headed out late in the afternoon and drove til nearly sunset when we pulled over in Elkton, Oregon for some water and to switch drivers.
When what should my wandering drivers eye should appear? A row of cherry blossoms in the city park.... I had so tied Portland and Cherry Blossoms together in my mind that I totally forgot the blooming power of the Southern Oregon Valley! Of course they were here.
On the way home, when the sun was high in the sky, I diverted my caravan back to the little city park and snapped some pictures of the blossoms. My daughter climbed high into the branches and when we returned home she even drew a picture of the trees for art class. Oh good, the tradition of seeking out this illustrious and almost illusive (they only bloom for two weeks) blossoming tree will carry on.
To spring!