Hanami

As I thought, I didn't get back to blogging until the cherry blossoms were blooming around here.  I guess that's good because I have LOTS of beautiful cherry blossom photos to share, mostly from Tetsu's camera.  And they seem to include a lot of photos of me if you don't mind.

Marlene suggested an afternoon out at a local park with a MacDonald's picnic under the cherry trees.  She cleverly brought lawn chairs for she and me to sit on.  (The menfolk were supposed to sit on a picnic blanket but we found some stone seats for them to sit on.)

There were a lot more people at the park enjoying the cherry trees than there usually are but not so many that we couldn't enjoy the natural surroundings.

There are mountains in the distance there but I'm not sure if that darkness is mountain or cedar pollen or rain clouds as rain was forecast for the evening...

As I am not very mobile still, I settled back in my chair...

...while Tetsu settled back on the picnic blanket...

...and Kohei and Marlene went off on a walk around the park.

Actually I had planned for this, and brought a small sketchbook, pens and paints.  This is my first attempt at outdoor sketching/painting.  If I've done anything before I've sketched outside, taken a photo and applied watercolors once back home but I brought the whole thing this time and wanted to see what I could do before Marlene and Kohei got back!

By the way, I am NOT in a wheelchair!!!  It just looks that way with my big black bag and other bags placed by the legs of my chair!  I am still able to get here and there on my own power but I'm not willing to go very far.

La-di-da.  What can I get down on paper?  

Some ink lines and a little color.

Tetsu went off to take pictures of the blossoms.

The trees are not quite in full bloom but this may still be the prettiest time to go cherry blossom watching, Hanami, in Japanese.

So serious...

We were up on a hill looking at trees to the left and right and below us.

Does it look like I know what I'm doing?  I don't.

A bit more color...  Actually this type of cherry blossom is more white than pink so I didn't want to get too vibrant...

And here comes Tetsu again.

And here is my final sketch.

Marlene and Kohei got back from their walk, the wind was picking up and we all were getting cold so we packed up and headed back to the car.

Cherry blossoms don't last long but that is part of the reason they are so revered in Japan.  The fleeting beauty that has to be appreciated because what is temporary is considered a precious gift.

It was a lovely day and my scibbly hanami sketch is now in my sketchbook forever... thus not temporary and not all that precious...