Note: Bill Poss took all of the photos in this story.

While friends in warmer places told us temperatures were in the eighties and their Easter was sunny, our Easter in Langley was overcast, drizzly and sported temperatures in the mid forties. Originally invited for Easter dinner by a neighbor, she texted early Sunday to let us know her husband had COVID and had visited the ER the night before. He is doing better now.

We decided to drive to Seattle and walk among the famous cherry trees at the UW quad. A gloomy day was brightened by the venerable trees that lined the walkway. International visitors speaking many languages, smiled and held their cellphones  to take photos and remember this Easter. Walking beneath the branches of Yoshino cherry trees, which were planted planted in 1936 at the campus, we were filled with joy. The trees’ moss and licorice-fern-lined bark is knobbled and dotted. They are a hybrid borne of Japan, originating in the 18th Century.

A pair of young women dressed in costumes from the Japanese manga and animated series ‘Sailor Moon.’ Sailor Moon is a superhero who searches for the “Legendary Silver Crystal.’
Even though it was drizzling, folks from around the world gathered in mutual admiration of venerable Yoshino cherry trees Easter Sunday at the UW campus
Yoshino cherry blossoms are in peak bloom Easter Sunday lining UW’s quad

According to the UW website, the trees are: “Internationally famous, the white blossoms of these trees attract massive crowds of visitors each spring as they line the quad with a cloak of snowlike flowers, which appear on the trees before the leaves and are mesmerizing and surreal to look upon. The Quad’s signature Yoshino cherry trees are nearly 90 years old and were originally set in a grove at the Washington Park Arboretum. In late 1964, the University transplanted the trees to their current spot.”

Families took loads of photos and selfies Easter Sunday at UW’s quad lined with Yoshino cherry trees in peak bloom
The nearly 100-year-old Yoshino cherry trees growing along the UW quad, spread their joy on Easter Sunday
Cherry blossoms dot a bench on a drizzled Easter Sunday at UW quad

It’s peak season now and worth a visit to the University District. Nearby is University Village, where we enjoyed excellent lunch at Pasta & Co., and locally made strawberry ice cream at Molly Moon’s Ice Cream.

Bill and Kate celebrate the beauty of Yoshino cherry trees in peak bloom at UW’s quad in Seattle
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