My Favorite Part of Spring

Spring officially arrived last week. We have had one warm day and several cooler but comfortable days since then. Today is a bit chilly and overcast but the grass is trying to get greener and there are a few daffodils here and there. The birds are singing more and more and the days are getting longer.

I keep looking but have not yet seen my favorite part of spring -- the happy blossoms of tulips. These flowers make me happy when I see them. When we still lived in Spokane I would peer down on my tulips and try to will them to bloom. Those three to four weeks of colorful blooms were always so special especially when the flowering dogwood bloomed at the same time.

Last year we were living in an apartment in Tacoma. I bought pots of planted tulips for the deck and purchased fresh tulips almost weekly for the inside. It was while living in Tacoma that I got to do something I had always wanted to do. April 15 was a cold and rainy Saturday but we decided to drive to La Conner and see what remained of the tulips. The Skagit Valley is famous for its tulip festival and it is an amazing site toe the fields and fields and row upon row of beautiful tulips. I would recommend this to anyone visiting the Pacific Northwest in late March through mid-April. It is a beautiful area by itself but when the the tulips bloom it is almost magical.

(photo was taken 04/15/2006)