Here’s that Oregon rain we’ve been missing!

The buds seem to be hunkering down amidst the rain and the bluster. The few blossoms that have peaked out early are hanging in there.

Since we have some time before full bloom I thought I’d share some pictures of our sister city’s cherry trees when they are in full bloom.

“The Nicchusen cherry blossoms in Kitakata City follow a three-kilometer section of the former Nicchu Line railway. Once running between Kitakata and Atsushio Onsen, part of the line has been converted into a walking and cycling path. Each spring, rows of cherry trees along the path draw visitors to see them in bloom, usually around Golden Week in late April or early May.”

Kitakata has their own blossom tracker that they call “The Bloom Situation”.