The Adventures of Periwinkle and Stinky

 

Stinky was very confused.  Today was Periwinkle's day to plan an Adventure but she was coming to HIS house.  He hoped he didn't make a mistake and was supposed to plan for today.  As he nervously paced back and forth he saw the Teleportation Tunnel shake and then out popped Periwinkle with a WOOOSH.  She landed right in his paws and they giggled, whisker kissed and paw patted for a bit.  "Periwinkle, I hope I wasn't supposed to plan for today" said Stinky.  Periwinkle replied "No, you weren't.  I figured I would come to you since we are going somewhere closer to your house."   As she said that she took his paw and led him back into the Tunnel to start their Adventure.

They both gasped when they tumbled out of the Tunnel because the sight was beautiful!

Periwinkle explained that they were in Washington, DC for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. She explained, "The tradition of celebrating the blooming of cherry trees in Japan is centuries old.

The planting of cherry trees in Washington DC originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan.

In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or "Sakura," is an important flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a symbol with rich meaning in Japanese culture.

For more than a hundred years, we have celebrated cherry trees blooming in solidarity."

Paw in paw, they walked around the tidal basin to see the beautiful trees in bloom.

Running ahead, Stinky (known for climbing where he shouldn't) climbed up a tree.  "Stinky, please get down,  It is against the law to touch or climb the cherry trees."  Stinky quickly obeyed since he didn't want to get in trouble.

Periwinkle went on..."We're lucky to be here today since the Washington DC cherry blossom peak bloom prediction for 2023 is between March 22nd and March 25th by the National Park Service. The Washington Post has predicts peak bloom will be between March 25 and 29. NBC Storm Team 4 predicts the peak cherry blossom bloom to be between March 15 and 20.

Typically the cherry blossoms bloom in March or April and last for about a week. Peak bloom is when 70% of the blossoms have bloomed which can heavily vary because of weather conditions. Wind is often a large factor as it’ll blow blooms off the trees."

Both tabbies agreed the blossoms were beautiful.

As they walked, they realized there was a parade going on.  They headed over and were excited to see the different groups.  They even joined in with one.

Suddenly they heard folks in the crowd saying their names.  They realized everyone knew who they were and they were escorted to a convertible and rode in the parade for a bit.

After a while, they thanked their new friends and headed out together again.  They stopped at a pretty park...

They continued to be in awe of the beautiful trees

Stinky said it was too bad they couldn't watch the beautiful trees all season and Periwinkle told him One of the best ways to view the Cherry Blossoms is through the watch camera. This camera is live 24/7 and gives you the best behind-the-scenes information on the trees in the Tidal Basin. Which is one of the most popular and beautiful spots in all of DC to see the cherry blossoms. The camera is on top of the Mandarin Oriental building and runs all year round.  They both said they wanted to bookmark that site when they got home so they could keep track of the blooms.

Before they headed back to Stinky's house, they took a memory photo.

Soon it was time to leave and they held paws as they stepped into the Teleportation Tunnel.  When they arrived at Stinky's house, they spent some time visiting with is fursibs and his parents. Of course, there was time for whisker kissing and paw patting and a nice serving of treats before Periwinkle had to head home.  As she stepped into the tunnel, she blew him one more whisker kiss and was on her way.  Stinky headed out to the Catio to think of his special girlfriend and maybe snooze in a sun puddle.

Want to know more about the Cherry Blossom Festival?  Here are two videos