Just when you need a camera, you either cant find it or it has run out of battery.

It will soon be that time of year when you can sit out under the blooming cherry blossom trees and enjoy the array of colors that surround you. The clear blue sky, the pink flowers of the trees, and the lush green of the grass, their reflection in the water.. it's a sight to behold.

Cherry blossom trees are all over the city and were first gifted to Washington DC by Japan in 1912 to celebrate the nations' growing friendship. Now, The National Cherry Blossom Festival in spring attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year who come to the tidal basin from all over the world to see the extraordinary display of blossoming cherry trees and participate in the street festival (parade included). I'll share my festival experiences when I attend it this year between March 28th and April 6th.

For now, I just wanted to share a picture of the bark of the cherry blossom tree in front of my apartment building. After a beautiful fall, when the leaves of the trees transformed to the most vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red, winter erased all color and exposed the bare shiny barks. It is not one of the most appreciated features, but, I think it's lovely and nothing like I have seen on any other tree. The rich dark color, and the shine against the snow adds to the winter interest.

I will replace the picture below with an original from my camera, but for now this is a stock photo glimpse of one I found on the net after a long search.


I wonder what the technical term for a bark of this kind is. My guess is it's either a ring bark, going by the successive concentric periderms in a nice smooth pattern or a smooth bark because of the glossy thin sheets like those of Jatropha plants.

Naturalists, forgive my arrogance, but I've made up my mind! Smooth bark it is.

In the cherry blossom's shade
there's no such thing
as a stranger.
– Kobayashi Issa (English Version: Robert Hass)