When Ryan and I passed the first cherry blossom tree sprouting its colorful flowers, I insisted on taking a photo to document the occasion, even though we came across the tree at 11 p.m. Does that tell you just a hint of my excitement for spring?
Spring in Boston is a glorious time in my opinion. For those unfamiliar with the city in the winter - I'll give you a quick breakdown. It's cold, it's cold, it's cold and it's actually pretty unsightly. The trees are all bare with lovely plastic bags flying in them (see Snow and Dancing) and everything just looks gray around the city. Massachusetts isn't like Washington with tons of evergreens (hence the Evergreen State title) to keep it green and beautiful all year long. We have deciduous trees everywhere here -- all over the city, along the freeways, in my work parking lot -- you get the point. So these bare trees make for a pretty gloomy city during winter. Hence, the first blooming cherry blossom tree marking spring's arrival is a celebrated occasion in my mind. It's also a perfect time for Ryan to make fun of me for acting like a giddy child on Christmas Eve awaiting Santa's arrival.
After being away from Boston for a two-week trip to Europe (post coming soon), we returned to a city brought back to life. Green as far as the eye can see. The deciduous trees have come back to life, leaving their dormant winter status and waking up Boston to prepare us for our brief but lovely spring.
The thing about spring in Boston is that it is truly brief. May is our one month of spring; the transition from winter to summer. When I compare Boston's spring to Seattle's, it's like comparing the100-meter dash to a marathon. Boston sprints through spring whereas Seattle enjoys the ride. I don't have a great example to share to demonstrate this comparison. All I can say is one day in Boston it will be 66 degrees, let's say May 29, and the next day it will be 75 degrees with humidity and the next and the next .... just like that it'll be summer. Goodbye hints of 60-degree weather and hello 80s, 90s and 100s. I'll enjoy spring while I can!
On a separate note, I can't leave this blog post without mentioning the Boston Marathon Bombing. The day was horrible; a tragic way to end the marathon that is usually a wonderful celebration for all in the city, no matter your class, color, etc. We're thankful that Boston lived up to its M*asshole status ... "You mess with the city; you hurt our people; and we will find you. We will shut down the entire city and hunt you the fuck down." It worked. Ryan and I both agreed that we couldn't imagine any other city going to such extremes to find two suspects, but then again, I've never known a city quite like Boston.
And with that, I'll end this post -- Boston Strong.
