Following an exceptionally mild winter, Spring officially arrived early in Seattle this year. Unlike back east, where the head-popping antics of a small furry rodent is said to signal the arrival of Spring, here in Seattle it's the flowering of the Yoshino Cherry. These spectacular blossoming trees can be found everywhere in the greater Seattle area but the most famous of them all are those at the University of Washington. Planted over 50 years ago as fully grown adult trees, the avenue of Yoshinos along both sides of the Quad draw thousands of visitors to UW Campus every year. Although native to Japan, Yoshino Cherry trees thrive in Seattle's mild climate; they are known for their dense pale pink blossoms, which emerge before the leaves, blooming for only 2-3 weeks each year, normally in early April. This year they began to bloom on March 6. We learned just in time that they were in full bloom so one day after Jennie finished work and Brittany got home from school we rode the bus across the Lake to the University District and enjoyed a beautiful late afternoon walk through campus as the sun began to set. The simple things in life don't get much better than this.