The Cherry Blossom Festival may be over, but don’t for one minute think that you have missed all the blooms in Washington!

The banks of azaleas are so full of blooms that you can barely see the green leaves.  Tulips have been planted all over the Capitol and the dogwood trees are an explosion of color.  Bare branched trees have given way to a fluid green of new growth and the daily temperatures are a delight. To see an expanse of green and a beautiful vista of the Capitol, a trip to the National Cathedral would be in order.  May 7 & 8 the central tower is open for those who would brave the 333 steps.  For those who prefer an elevator, the  “Tour and Tea” gives an in-depth Cathedral tour followed by a  traditional English tea with sandwiches and scones from the Observation Gallery.  (check availability before you go!)

Lovely Tulips in Washington, D.C.

No, I am not leaving out a mention of Orange County and its spring opportunities!   Our parks offer plenty of hikes through the hills, offering vistas of rolling hills blooming with wildflowers or walks along the beaches and their bluffs and if you check your local newspapers, you will have numerous garden and home tours from which to choose. Sherman's Gardens in Corona del Mar, where I was a docent many, many years ago, packs a powerful punch of blooms and gardens into a small area.   Are roses your favorites?   The rose garden at the Nixon Library is well worth a spring visit along with the library exhibitions.

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring."  ~Bern Williams

So take your allergy meds and relish in the beauties of spring!

Crystal Cove State Park Newport Coast, California

Congressman Campbell's Great Great Uncle, Bayard Taylor penned this spring poem:

The Return of Spring

By Bayard Taylor

Have I passed through Death's unconscious birth,
In a dream the midnight bare?
I look on another and fairer Earth:
I breathe a wondrous air!

A spirit of beauty walks the hills,
A spirit of love the plain;
The shadows are bright, and the sunshine fills
The air with a diamond rain!

Before my vision the glories swim,
To the dance of a tune unheard:
Is an angel singing where woods are dim,
Or is it an amorous bird?

Is it a spike of azure flowers,
Deep in the meadows seen,
Or is it the peacock's neck, that towers
Out of the spangled green?

Is a white dove glancing across the blue,
Or an opal taking wing?
For my soul is dazzled through and through,
With the splendor of the Spring.

Is it she that shines, as never before,
The tremulous hills above, --
Or the heart within me, awake once more
To the dawning light of love?

Be careful where you walk on either coast! Though beautiful, poison oak and poison ivy and thriving this spring! Poison oak, California