Hanami on the Quad



3/30/13 Zig markers, watercolor, Stillman & Birn sketchbook

Greg wanted to try out his new camera, and we knew the blossoming cherry trees wouldn’t be around long, so we went over to the Quad on the University of Washington campus. Since it was Saturday, we expected it to be quiet, but it turned out to be an informal cherry blossom viewing event. (In Japan, they even have a term for it – hanami.) Hundreds of people were simply standing around in the Quad, looking up at the huge cherry trees, soaking up sunshine and temperatures in the mid-60s. The trees there are unusually white instead of the pale pink I see elsewhere.

 

Wearing flip-flops in March, sketching in the sunshine: I can't think of too many things I'd rather be doing on a Saturday afternoon.