When I first visited Westchester, spring was just around the corner. I could sense that something magical was going to happen in just a few short weeks. That was March 1st of last year. By my second trip down in mid-March, it was clear that my instant love-affair with this place was not unfounded. In those short weeks that I had been away, spring had erupted with full force. The amazing blossoming trees, paired with the beautiful tudor and brick homes, the narrow parkways, the babbling brooks at every turn, the worn but absolutely stunning bridges, the 'horse crossing' signs, the forests of bramble surrounding all the old mansions and quaint towns - it was like I had driven into a whimsical fairy tale world - minus the snotty rich people and their SVUs.
Although I'm from upstate and the spring there is as beautiful as any other, it was the amazing flora combined with the old world architecture that really drew me in. A year later I've settled into knowing that Westchester is just like every other new place, that it has its ugliness and its loveliness like everywhere else. The winter was dull and brown and lasted for what seemed like forever - just like everywhere else. Winter always seems interminable while the other seasons just seem to pass by in the blink of an eye.
While waiting for the train the other morning I noticed that over night the magnolias had start to awaken and bloom. It won't be long before that eruption of whimsy takes over again, if only for a brief moment before the summer rolls in. Although we may not have much in the way of sakura trees like in Seattle - the blooming trees here send the same message - appreciate that fleeting beauty, the ephemeral nature of life - keep it with you always and live each day as if it won't be there again tomorrow.
Cheers,
Breezer M.
