Library of Congress Hydrangeas

Every afternoon I like to take a little over a mile walk around the hallways of the Madison Building. It's hard to sit at a desk in front of a computer all day long. Plus it is good exercise and there is no excuse because the weather is always good indoors. With the Easter season and spring in the air, a bunch of hydrangeas were placed in the foyer, right in front of the Manuscript Division and Reading Room. The pinks and purples caught my eye from the second floor. In December the halls were decked with poinsettias. The beautiful flowers reminded me of the two hydrangea bushes we have in the tiny patio garden. I whacked them back to the stems a few days ago and got a huge blister on my thumb for the effort. After the awful rain, wind, and cold weather of the last couple of days we are looking forward to seeing our own blossoms. And it couldn't come soon enough!  

A Walk Down Independence Avenue to the Smithsonian Castle

Finally a sunny day has arrived so it was a great opportunity to see how far the spring blossoms have progressed. Rather than taking our usual route, we headed out to Independence Avenue past the House Office Buildings. The cherry blossoms were flourishing against the white backdrop and crisp blue sky. The Capitol Building looked very regal, and down the street the US Botanical Garden was the background for the fields of bright yellow daffodils. At the Smithsonian Castle the photographers were having a ball. The magnolias and blossoms were simply gorgeous in the surrounding gardens and architectural elements. On the way home we passed by the American Indian Museum. The fountain has not been turned on yet, and we were on the un sunny side of the building. The massive boulders in the pond made their presence known in the reflection of the stone walls. Passing back through the Botanic Garden, the mockingbird was trying to get someone's attention as he chirped in front of the distant Capitol. His mind was obviously somewhere else when I snapped his photo. The purple hyacinths looked spectacular in the fresh garden. We really love the early spring here compared to Milwaukee, and especially find the afternoon walks this time of year heaven sent.