National Arboretum

We made it out to the National Arboretum this weekend, and there is something about Justin being around plants that makes him want to take close-up photos.

While the cherry blossoms are gone, there are plenty of other plants providing color. Here's a shot of an ornamental citrus tree.

Yes, roses from the florist are beautiful. But there is something quite unique about the blooms found in nature.

The coloring on these petals, particularly on the inside, is probably a secret code that only the pollinating bugs can see...

 Scary flower!

A flowering tree.

The Arboretum has an impressive banzai collection, but none of its trees were as impressive as this one, which has been "in training since 1625."

Deeply colored blooms are pretty... rare.

Beautiful water lilies dotted the surface of one of the ponds at the Arboretum, which contained lots of hungry koi.

These columns may seem better suited for a Greek Isle, but they actually used to be part of the U.S. Capitol. When the building was renovated and expanded in the early 1950s, these pillars went into storage, until someone had the bright idea to pull them out and display them here at the Arboretum.

We all know about this one... the flowers and the bees...wait, that's birds and bees, never mind.

But definitely the best photos we got pictured more than just flowers...

"A petal she blows!"

Even as we walked among all the trees of cherry blossoms, it was apparent they were not going to last long. With the wind blowing, the petals seemed to cover as much of the ground in some areas as the trees.



In some places the petals stuck everywhere. Think a six-year-old working on an art project with glitter and glue.



Moving target? Challenge accepted.



Of course, we had to get a shot of the Jefferson Memorial in one of the photos.



In some areas, the petals were so deep, it looked like a late snow. Which got me thinking...



Now it really looks like snow!



It looked like it wasn't just petals in the air. Nothin' like a little spring fever, AKA love.

Walking the Tidal Basin

Part of the appeal of the cherry blossoms is their location around the tidal basin, as well as the variety of monuments that can be found there. Which came first, the monuments or the flowers? Well, you could Google it, but where's the fun in that?



The Jefferson Memorial rivals the Lincoln Memorial in size, yet due to its location on the far side of the Tidal Basin, it has nowhere near as many visitors. That is, until the cherry blossoms start to bloom...



Even in the overcast early morning, we set off to make our way around the Tidal Basin to visit our good friend TJ. If you look close, you'll see him standing between the pillars.



Unlike Lincoln, it's possible to walk all the way around Jefferson's statute. Granted, as with all other people, the back of Jefferson is not as interesting as the front. Hence, visitors tend to congregate in the front.



Apparently it's not just the cherry blossoms that think spring is here. A gaggle of geese came flying through on their way north.



The FDR Memorial also resides along the Tidal Basin. The FDR Memorial is unique in that it is designed to fit in with the scenery as opposed to standing out.



The FDR Memorial includes several interesting statutes, as well as a nice water component. Nothing like a long exposure shot of a waterfall being watched by the cherry blossoms.



And here's the Washington Monument, which is also fairly close to the basin, so we included a shot...too bad we cut off its head. Don't you hate when that happens?

The Bloom

As some of you may know, the centennial celebration of the cherry blossoms is starting up in April. There are a variety of events planned over several weeks, with big stars and big shows. To which Mother Nature said, "Well, if you're not gonna include me on the guest list, then I'll take my flowers and go..." Thus, we had an unusually warm winter, causing the flowers to peak this week, several weeks before the celebration is due to begin.



In 1912, Japan gifted the United States with several thousand cherry blossom trees that we subsequently planted throughout the District of Columbia, many of them along the Tidal Basin.



The blossoms themselves range in color from pink to white. There is even one purple tree in the district, but finding it requires previous knowledge of its location and a map (or so we've heard). We have yet to find it.



The flowers, while beautiful, are extremely delicate. When a flower is plucked from the tree, it never grows back, as if poisoned by human touch. SO DON'T TOUCH!



Today, the best location to view the trees is around the Tidal Basin, located just south of the western edge of the Mall.



Of the original trees planted in 1912, about 100 are still blooming today.



In an attempt to avoid the crowds and capture the blooms in the morning light, we rose before dawn, only to have our plans thwarted by clouds. That's what we get for making plans...



But when Mother Nature gives you lemons...er...poor lighting, sometimes you just have to shoot in black and white. While the vibrant colors are lost in this format, there is a level of complexity added...



In spite of the clouds, we still had an amazing time seeing the cherry blossoms. They truly are one of the most beautiful sights in DC!

Gone to Texas!

With so much coming up over the next several months, we took advantage of the Presidents Day weekend to head back to Texas for a quick visit.



With so much rain, there were plenty of clouds to create a beautiful canvas for the sunset to paint upon.



The main purpose of our visit was to catch up with family, including a family member we had never met, baby Alice. Granted, this isn't the first time Alice has appeared in our blog.



This was also the first time we got to see Jackiemom's new house. Located in central Austin, it has enough room to fit both of us along with Christopher, who was in town for a visit.



With the two brothers in town, you knew there was going to be some competition. While Christopher won their round of golf and Justin dominated the basketball court, the most impressive game came when Justin went over 200 for the first time while bowling at the Texas Union.



Finally, no visit to Texas is ever complete without visiting the oldest married couple in the family, Granny and Papa Rogers. Even after all these years, they're still making smart choices (particularly Papa when it comes to his headgear!)

The Real World - West Wing

As part of our exploration of Washington DC, we were fortunate enough to have a chance to go on a West Wing tour, given by our good college friend, Katie.



Here's a photo of Jessica just inside the door leading to the downstairs lobby. You'll notice the large seal on the wall clearly indicating whose house it is.



Technically, we're not allowed to take photos inside the West Wing, but Justin got some anyways. All along the walls are a series of photos featuring President Obama and the First Family at a variety of different events. The photos shown here feature the first family on vacation in the Hawaiian Islands.



Here you see the Cabinet Room. Interesting note, the President's chair is actually a little taller than any of the other chairs. Can you spot the President's chair?



The Roosevelt Room is probably the second most well-known room in the West Wing. As many fans of the TV show "The West Wing" will notice, the room does not feature windows along every wall. The room does feature portraits of both President Roosevelts, a Congressional medal of honor, and a Noble Peace prize. Do you know which Roosevelt earned which award?



Finally, the Oval Office. A remarkable room that is surprisingly well lit, but is also somewhat small compared to what you see on TV. Granted, they never have to film a movie in the real Oval Office, so they don't need the extra space.



Here we are outside the front entrance of the West Wing, which was actually the end of our tour. Not the most exciting photo of the bunch, but we look good so why not share it?



Finally, here we are with our generous and gracious tour guide. Hook 'em!

The Burniske Super Bowl

In case you're wondering who still watches the Super Bowl for the game instead of the commercials, well, this family does:



On one side you have Grandpa Burniske, who has been a Giants fan for a long time. While he grew up in western Massachusetts, and thus geographically should be a Patriots fan, he's been watching the New York Giants since the beginning. On the flip side you have his daughter, Brenda, and her family, who still live in Massachusetts and have become regulars at the Patriots home games. So what's on the line this Sunday? Well, let's just say that after Super Bowl 42, when these two teams previously met in the Super Bowl, the losing faction didn't talk to the winner until sometime in June. To hear more about the Giants side of the family history, enjoy this podcast:

Podcast Powered By Podbean