Exercises in Tree Hugging

Last night was long, but in a good way. Hollie and I went to the Tidal Basin and the Reflecting Pool and walked around until midnight.  I took some photos for references for future drawings. The trees were exquisite. The blossoms had a delicate smell that filled the night air as bats flew and fishes were jumping. It felt quite surreal underneath the night sky. I am in love with Cherry trees, the blossoms and the contrast to the gnarly trunks. Has anyone ever tried hugging a tree because I have and it feels good; especially if I am in the midst of full blown anxiety attack. It's a physical act the produces a serene state. I love hugging trees and sometimes they hug back. Hey, I am allowed to believe it. Taking a stroll around the monuments is something that I like doing, especially at night. I love the FDR and MLK memorials; they just seem to fit together. It could be the stone but the energy feels similar. The Korean War memorial is gut wrenching. It wasn't even a war but a Police Action. My dad missed that War. He was in the Marines at the end of WWII; in 1948 and was honorably discharged in 1950 because of his asthma. One of his brothers was an ambulance driver for a MASH unit in Korea, which I find funny. The statues seem so ghostly amongst the make shift rice paddies, made of evergreen shrubs and black marble. How the marble is laid out reminds me of the parallel lines the would, like the 38 or 42. It seems the ink black marble does double duty in that piece. It's a strong work. I like it the best of all the War Memorials I've been too. Life has been good without Facebook. I'll go back to it perhaps not like I was with it but in those downtown times, why not?