Cherry Blossoms, Jackson Park

After work today, Liz wanted to have a bit of a surprise… and took me out for a quick ride. We parked near MSI, and walked over to Jackson Park, where the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom (after four years of deterred blooms).

Ah me – MSI in the distance. I had a chance to lease this apartment for a month, and it all fell short. It would have been quite the place to live.

Inside the Garden of the Phoenix. I was not prepared for how many people were out and about. Liz wanted to get here today, figuring that the weekend would be more overrun with people (and with rain).

It’s usually quiet and secluded here – but today, it was packed to the gills.

Cherry Blossoms in Jackson Park.
I really wasn’t prepared for the number of people we encountered. One particularly frustrating thing: a mom was with her two kids, and one of them was up in one of the cherry blossom trees. And he ended up breaking off a branch, with his climbing.

It was difficult not to yell out at them. We have these lovely trees, tended to by the Park District and available to all for free… and somehow, people manage to ruin it for everyone else. Comes with being in the city, I guess, but still… frustrating.

Overall, it was a nice chance to step away and be out and about. I had a lot of struggles with walking, so Liz was patient with me as I hobbled to and fro. I had to stop on the bridge to rest for a bit, and I had another moment where I sat on a bench while Liz went off on her own.

It’s difficult to still feel incomplete, with my back injury. I remember running along these paths last year, and my body wants to pick up that same routine again. But at the moment, I’m barely able to walk down the path without taking a rest stop.

It’s lovely we got the chance to see the Cherry Blossoms return, after many years away. In many ways, I’m looking forward to a return of my own – but it sure is taking its time, getting here.

Related:
The Garden of the Phoenix, Revisited
In Search of the Garden of the Phoenix
A Random (and Wet) Walk Around Jackson Park
Month at the Museum: Science Experiment Reveals Winner