I’m an ardent admirer of cherry blossoms, and this admiration stems from many years of hoarding pages upon pages of fragrant Korean stationery that feature whimsy prints of these pink-white flowers. I think, if my memory serves me right, I’d trace the prints with the tips of my fingers and silently wish I’d mosey on falling petals on a spring day in Korea, traipse with a paper umbrella under those enormous deep pink sakura trees in Japan, or walk leisurely along lined cherry blossom trees in Hobbiton.
My son, Daniel, playing under a cherry blossom tree at Golden Gate Park
After knowing that we live in the cherry district here in the Bay Area made me all the more excited to find “remnants” of cherry farms. Whenever I see a tree with burgeoning light pink flowers, I get excited so easily and always ask my husband if what we just saw was cherry blossoms. Though I’ve seen a gazillon photos of this flower, I wasn’t sure what it looked like up close, and that reminds me of the first time I set foot on U.S. soil some nine months ago: I’ve seen the United States in every TV show, Hollywood movie, and magazine but, in actuality, I didn’t have a clue of what this country was like. And while I consider myself pretty much a cosmopolitan, there are things that still surprise me up to this date, which I don’t know how to react to.
Going back to cherry blossoms, I told myself that I got to see the actual flowers soon. Needless to say, I had my own countdown to spring and, for me, the apex of my spring experience would be to take photos of cherry blossoms. This might strike you as paltry but, sometimes, things don’t have to be grand to mean a lot to me.
And there is no better place to enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms than San Francisco. In fact, being in San Francisco adds more charm to the whole experience of capturing the essence of this flower.
Taken near Japanese Tea Garden
Victorian houses and cherry blossoms are what make San Francisco unique
