Last spring, we packed up the car and headed to Washington D.C. When we made the reservations, we had no idea we were making them during the annual “Cherry Blossom Festival.” We decided to make the best of it even though we knew it was going to be atypically crowded in the nation’s capital.

Our first full day in D.C. was spent taking in the major icons. We strolled from Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. We took side paths so we didn’t miss the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Memorial. KT had just studied FDR’s presidency in her history curriculum, so we made a point of going to that memorial too. We traipsed all the way around the tidal basin and stopped by the Jefferson Memorial along the way. We must have walked 10 miles that day. It was a glorious day with the sunshine beaming down on us. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and they were spectacular. The air was filled with the most fragrant scent, and we couldn’t help but smile at the glory of it all.

A terrible thunderstorm ripped through the area that night. The next day 95% of the cherry blossoms were lying on the ground. After that, we heard many people complaining that the cherry blossoms were gone.

Then today I find this on Drudge:

WASHINGTON (AP) - They have been lovingly groomed for the past three months, and next week all eyes will be on Washington’s treasured cherry trees in anticipation of the few days when they burst into an irresistible sea of pale blossoms.
But as the trees perform the famous ritual that has drawn visitors for decades, officials are issuing friendly reminders about the harmful effects of snapping branches, climbing limbs and trampling the roots.

It just absolutely disgusts me what people will do. Obviously it happens a good bit, otherwise the Park Service wouldn’t have to issue friendly reminders. Never once during our visit, did I even think I should swipe a branch of a cherry blossom tree to take home as a souvenir. It didn’t cross my mind to hoist my kids up in a tree to snap their picture. We took plenty of pictures to try to capture the absolute beauty of it, but as usually happens, it’s no where near as spectacular as it was in real life.

It reminds me of a saying I’ve read at various tourist spots: “Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints.” We can’t control the thunderstorms that will take away the beauty, but we surely can control our actions. Keep things beautiful for the next person too!

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