“You didn’t take us to see the Cherry Blossoms,” says my mother’s boyfriend Joe. Over the weekend, Matt’s mom, my mom, and my mom’s significant other, Joe, drove into town for a visit with Annabelle (and us too). Since our parents reside in New England and had missed the infamous Cherry Blossoms festival, Matt and I decided it was only fair to load everyone up and see another bloom to rival the Cherry Blossoms: the Azaleas Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum.
First we showed off D.C. with a tour down Constitution Avenue and then proceeded up Maryland Avenue to see the U.S. National Arboretum. On the way there, we got lost, but our visitors enjoyed the detour and thought we were simply showing them the residential areas of north east D.C.
It was a sunny Sunday, the park bustling full of visitors. Let’s just say that parking was tight. But once inside the park, the azaleas took our breath away (I was happy to have my camera), and we discovered that we weren’t the only D.C. residents who were indulging in the local beauty; while there, we spotted Jon, Andrea, and Zander, Green Mamma’s featured green friends this week. From the azaleas, we toured the Chinese gardens, admired the bonsai exhibits, and stopped to smell mint, lavender, and a whole array of exotic spices inside the herb gardens. Other outstanding sites at the U.S. National Arboretum include the old National Capitol Columns (not pictured here), which were donated to the park and transported from the old Capitol building. Here are a few pictures that I took during our visit:
the azaleas
outside the visitor center
my mom, Annabelle, and me near the citrus trees
the family looking at the large moat where lily pads float
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Hopefully Joe, Mom, and Matt’s mom enjoyed the tour of the U.S. National Arboretum. Always a mamma, I couldn’t help but notice that our busy and beautiful afternoon left my little one prime and ready for a long snooze.
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