DC Cherry Blossom Festival

I’m back with another What’s On Moosey’s Mind, complete with pictures from my day trip to DC! For the past few years, a friend from school and I drive down for the Cherry Blossom Festival, which is usually the end of March/beginning of April. We planned on going the weekend before Easter, but because of the weather, everything got delayed, so we went last weekend. Unfortunately, we were one weekend too early, so only about three trees were in bloom. The rest were lifeless buds. If I had to miss the peak again, I’d much rather go after than before because at least afterwards, there are petals on the ground and in the lake. Regardless of having very few blooms, the weather was beautiful.

I didn’t take as many pictures since I wasn’t feeling too inspired, not to mention the lighting was a bit harsh without clouds in the sky. I’m proud to say I’m getting better at shooting in manual. This time last year, I threw it in aperture (Av) mode and hoped for the best.

During the walk around the Tidal Basin, I lost my Grand Canyon pin I had on my camera strap. It was my favorite pin. I found a friend going to the Grand Canyon this summer, so she is going to get me another one. Except it’s at a certain gift shop far from the park entrance. And I can’t find any pictures to show her what it looked like.

After our walk, we went to see Julia Child’s kitchen (again). I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen it, but this was the first time after renovations. Her kitchen remained the same, but the museum built a food revolution exhibit to go with it.



For dinner, someone recommended Founding Farmers. Problem is when I called the night before, they had no reservations. Determined, my friend and I stopped by to see if we could squeeze in. Fortunately, they could with a 75 minute wait. We were exhausted from walking, so we sat down and waited. Time went very quickly plus they took us 20 minutes early. We split chips, cheese crisps, and dips (green goddess, pimento cheese, and onion) for an appetizer. For dinner, I got a burger with goat cheese, spinach, and pickled cucumbers with a side of roasted vegetables. My friend got a regular burger. Let’s just say I really recommend this place and totally understand why they are super busy. They even have a cookbook coming out in fall 2013!



Even though we were disappointed with the blossoms, it felt good to travel again. It’s been a long time where I took a trip to somewhere fun, rather than just to my parents (sorry, Mom and Dad).
—-
Some recipes I found that I want to try:

• Brownie Bottom Coconut Chocolate Cream Cake from Willow Bird Baking
• Buttermilk Cake with Dulce de Leche Praline Filling and Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting from Vintage Kitchen
• Caramelized Onion Arugula Pizza from Savory Simple
• Cherry Pecan Bundt Cake from Magnolia Days
• Chicken Fried Steak from Supper For A Steal
• Chocolate Reese’s Cheesecake from Inside BruCrew Life
• Fluffernutter Rice Krispie Treats from Shugary Sweets
• Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Frappe from Peanut Butter And Peppers
• Smores Cookie Bars from Chocolate, Chocolate, and More
• Trapanese Pesto (Cherry Tomato) Pasta from Juanita’s Cocina