Cherry Blossom Festival arrives

Yesterday I was too busy taking pictures to post any here. So let me show four that I took in Branch Brook Park on the first day of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. First, here's one view of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Note the duckies. I got there after 4pm, and that whitish spot in the sky is the moon. Here is a view from a bit farther south on the west side of the lake. The Basilica itself is mostly hidden by leafless trees. Unfortunately, there are no large flowering trees directly in front of the Cathedral as seen from the area of the lions (see below), so to see flowering trees in front of the Cathedral, you have to walk farther along.

Directly across from the Basilica is a popular seating and gathering area for pedestrians behind a decorative concrete wall, punctuated by two stone lions. This next foto should give you a sense of the place and the people the park attracts during cherry-blossom time.

Note the biker in shorts (it was really a little too cool for shorts yesterday, unless you're actively biking).
+
A while later, I got into my car and drove the entire length of the Park. There are weeping cherries along a watercourse on Mill Street, Belleville, and I got out to take some pix. Who should ride by but the biker from the lions, almost three miles away!

Good for him. I used to have that kind of energy, and a bike. I still have a bike, but since my three knee surgeries, have been unable to ride. Seize the day, people. That goes for getting to the Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom festival while it's on as much as for riding your bike while you still can.