Sakura Matsuri

Today we visited the much anticipated Sakura Matsuri, Cherry Blossom Festival in downtown DC.  

We exited the metro at Archives, so we first visited the Navy Memorial to celebrate the "Year of the Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps"

Found the Seabee mascot, the fierce-looking bee complete with Tommy gun and tools, cute and the center of attention.

Then the Navy's Ceremonial Guard in unison poured water from the Seven Seas (Black, Caspian, Persian, Red, Mediterranean, Adriatic, Arabian) and the Great Lakes into the foundation to charge the fountains.  The fountains lit up and the audience cheered.

Enjoyed Navy Bean soup prepared by the White House Mess.  Then we walked next block to the Street Fest.  Truly enjoyed the music (J-POP, taiko drums), the culture, Japanese arts and craft, the food (udon, sashimi, calamari and chicken sate) and of course the Japanese beer garden.

Finally, a nice long walk around the Tidal Basin (Jefferson, FDR)  to walk off the big meal, then the WW II Memorial.  The sun shone brightly. Billowy clouds formed over the windswept waves, looking magical and majestic covering the peacefully idyllic Tidal Basin.  The cherry trees, flowery and low, were definitely at peak bloom and people appeared happy and elated all around.