We were at our Virginia house, The Train House, during Cherry Blossom season in Washington, D.C. Being an hour outside of D.C., we decided to take a ride and see the Cherry Blossoms!!
However, as we were driving the traffic got heavier and so we decided to go to a nearby city, after all they should have cherry blossom too!! So I looked up on a website, while we were driving, and found the city of Reston had a few sites of the beautiful trees…
This is Washington, D.C. during Cherry Blossom season…beautiful, right?
Click on the red, for the History of Cherry Blossom Trees planted in Washington, DC
And this was Reston…the website brought us to an office park…pretty, but not D.C!!!
Then I did some research into the lovely trees that were lining Gina’s street, and found out they were cherry blossoms trees too…just a different type, but the same blossoms…
And these are the blossoms close up…
Everywhere we turned, there were more magnificent trees…
These cherry trees grow wild on Gina and Tom’s property…a lovely spot to walk Raffa, my granddog…
A little note about Raffa’s head collar…it’s called a Gentle Leader and it allows you to walk a rambunctious dog without having them pull you…it’s completely safe and they can even take treats and drink water with the Gentle Leader on!!
Did you know that you can trim your flowering trees and bring some branches in your house to bloom in a vase of water?!! So simple, yet so impressively beautiful!!! These are cherry blossoms that I picked from the wild trees in Gina’s yard…
These are forsythia from just one bush in our yard…
This vase is holding branches that I bought at Trader Joe’s, a beautiful pink blossom, this was the end of March, a great way to bring the spring into your house…
🌸
Now, that it’s spring in New England, I brought out my old plant pot that has been through so many seasons…
Summer flowers with a variety of begonias…
Spring bulbs, with pussy willows in the middle, to add height…
The plant pot is now weathered with a wearing away of the black…filled with mint and begonias
And this spring I planted petunias, I thought I was buying pansies, but I made a mistake, hope they do well in the cold weather, I added branches of forsythia in the center, you could add any of the branches of flowering trees!!!
🛠
And now, how to keep a tween grandson and his brother busy!!
We grandparents have lots of junk hanging around…this old digital clock kept my 11 year old Aaden busy for quite awhile…
We gave Aaden a screwdriver set and pliers and then he went to town, taking apart the old clock…every single piece, he layed them all out on a cookie sheet!!! He discovered the digital clock numbers are all formed from four “8’s,” he was amazed at how many little individual PCB boards there are and they all have a different job to do, as Papa told him. Aaden saw how many different kinds of small screws and wires that go into this small clock. A fun activity and educational too!!
🛑A little note of caution…make sure you take any batteries out and definitely make sure it is not plugged in, before your tween starts to take it apart!!🛑
After the clock was taken apart he started thinking of something he could make out all the little pieces, he took them home in a baggie, I’ll let you know if makes anything!!!
🛠
While Aaden was busy demolishing a clock, Parker was busy with his own project…
Making robots out of found objects!! He draws up detailed plans and Papa helps him build a robot from wood scraps, bottle caps, corks, paperclips, hooks, nails and washers…pretty much anything will do!! Parker lined up all the materials needed for his robot, on a tray…pretty good for a 7 year old!!!
And here is Parker with his latest guy…
And two more that he and Papa made…
🌸
We need to simply nurture our plants and our children…only then can we see what blossoms…💗
Visions of My 70s 
Pretty blossoms
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Thank you, Siva, glad you enjoyed them on this Earth Day🌸🌏 I appreciate you visiting my blog💞
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Indeed, welcome visions
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Beautiful Carol !! The boys are getting so big. So handsome. Enjoy 💕
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Thank you, Denise!! Hope everything is going well with you and your family!! Yes, like your grandchildren, they are getting so big!! Every time we see them, we are amazed, they are blossoming, like spring!! Stay well, Happy Spring🌻💗
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You always add beautiful and colorful pictures to your blog! It looks like your grandsons enjoy spending time with you and discovering new projects to tackle! Your flowers are so lovely! Happy Spring! 💕🌸
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Thank you, Nancy!! I love color and nature, I always put my photos together first and then I write the story. I try to add as few words as possible, I could tell a story just by pictures!! When the boys were younger, it was so easy to keep them busy, but now it’s more difficult and I get excited when we find something they like to do!! But I have to remind myself, it’s okay not to have projects, just let them be in Nina and Papa’s company, after all there will be a time, real soon that they will be reluctant to visit us!! Hope you and Art are enjoying freedom, as a result of the vaccine, it makes spring all that much better!! Stay well and enjoy🌷❤️
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I know it will be hard when the boys get to the age where sports, friends, and other projects keep them occupied, so it’s great you get to enjoy them now while you can.
We had our second vaccines last month with no problem, thank God, but I just developed shingles and I’m really not a happy camper! But this will pass and my doctor recommended I have the shingles vaccine in June when this should be gone. ARGH! It’s hard getting old. So we have to take care and enjoy life while we can, right? My best to you and Victor!
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Yes, I see it coming with Aaden, so we do enjoy their visits, incuding their enthusiasm with overnight visits. Oh no, shingles, I’m so sorry. My doctor is always offering me the shot and I never take it, but I will now, especially since Covid, we just never know!! Your right, enjoy life while we can. I pray you have a fast recovery🙏🏽❤️
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You are other worldly! Aaden is getting so big as well as your grand dog! I ‘m not on FB a lot but clearly I was suppose to connect with you and your blog today. When my parents passed we planted 3 cherry trees. Every mother’s day I sit on my porch and marvel at the fresh sea of pink flowers that flows down our property line…..stunning! Miss you!
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Oh, Jen, it’s wonderful to hear from you!! You know me, being “other worldly” is the best compliment you can give me🙏🏽 Yes, Aaden is getting big, his voice is changing, I can’t even believe it!! I have seen your cherry trees and they are stunning, what a great tribute to your parents!! I think of you often and miss you, I hope the school year is going well with you!! Enjoy your well deserved vacation, thank you for checking into my blog💖
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Loved the blog. Maybe Aadden can fix my clock radio. One bar on two of the 8’s won’t light up. 8 o’clock looks like 9 o’clock. Time to get into the 21st century. What a creative thing to do for a 7 year old. Nice job Parker.
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Thanks, glad you loved my post!! Aaden just takes thing apart, he doesn’t put things back together, but maybe this is the start of him figuring out how to do that!! I can’t take credit for Parker’s project, he found it in one of his magazines and brought it to Victor to see if he could help him with it!! I think the fact that he draws up detailed plans is amazing!! Thank you for checking into my blog💖
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Hi Carol,
Look forward to your blogs. Cherry blossoms are the harbinger to Spring, and so very pretty. Gina and Tom are fortunate to have
cherry blossom trees on their property. I love all your floral arrangements. The pussy willows bring back fond memories.
Growing up, we had a pussy willow tree in our yard and every spring
my mom would create arrangements, often with pink dogwoods, so
pretty.
It nice to see Aaden and Parker being creative, even if they don’t
put things back together, they’re having fun and enjoying time with
their papa. Know how much you enjoy spending time with them and staying at the ” train ” house. Soon it will time to spend more time at the Cape. Enjoy it all. My best to you and Victor, I miss our chats.
Take good care and enjoy the spring.
With love,
Lucille
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Hi Lucille!! It’s always great to hear from you!! Yes, our first experience being in VA for cherry blossom season, it was magnificent!!! I love pussy willows…you have a cherished memory of them, your mom was ahead of her time, making arrangements with flowering tree branches🌸
Yes, both my grandsons are creative!! Aaden has taken up whittling, can you believe it, such a old craft…I’ll have to do a post on that??!!
We’re excited to start this season at the Cape…although restaurants might not be fully staffed, due to Covid restrictions in other countries…but we’ll just have to eat in for another season!!
Hope you are doing well, say hello to Dee for us!! If you’re at the Cape, please stop by, we would love to see you!!! I miss our chats too🌷💖
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