So I recently felt the need for some nature. Maybe it was just the long but not very wintery winter. Maybe it was all the bad news that had been happening. Maybe it was just the arrival of spring. Whatever it was, I grabbed a car, had a friend eager for an outing too, and off we went to the National Arboretum.
The Arboretum is really remarkable. Not only does it have trees and plants from all over (including the 50 state trees), it has amazing collections, especially in the azalea and bonsai worlds. I had not checked the site to see what was in store for the weekend, but luck was with me that weekend.
Amazing beautiful bonsai. I really love the "forest" bonsai. Some of these trees have been in training for more than a hundred years.... Wow!
This weekend was an ikebana show and demonstration! There were several schools of ikebana represented; I really liked these submissions.
Then, we saw the demo; in about 40 minutes, she made about 8 different arrangements. They were lovely! These were my favorites. Of course I can't find the brochure, but this school emphasizes line and color, and uses a variety of mixed materials.
We also had a picnic lunch, as the day was just gorgeous. We wandered the grounds for a while, including the old columns from the old Capitol. We took all kinds of wooded paths that I'd never been on before. And then, we realized that the azaleas were blooming early.
Gorgeous!! And while it was crowded, we beat the crowds, as the prime wasn't for a couple of weeks yet. (And, some lovely tulips too -- lucky me!)
So many colors, so much eye candy!
Sadly, I thought I had the car for an hour more than I actually did, and we had a bit of a rush getting it back. We slid into the space exactly on time -- whew! While I love having the cars available, that's the headache. Nevertheless, a wonderful outing, and a much needed dose of nature and beauty to balance things out a bit.
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