Color photo. A cherry tree at the right of the frame. Its branches, covered in early blooms, stretch across a brick pathway below. At the end of the path, and to its left, are crowds of people.

Last Saturday was the first day of the U District Cherry Blossom Festival, and I went to the quad at the University of Washington campus with some friends to see how the trees were coming along.  The blooms were just a tiny bit pre-peak then, but there were enough for some