BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Tidal Basin

DC -- Tidal Basin:

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[1] TIDAL_160323_003_STITCH.JPG

[2] TIDAL_160323_006.JPG	[3] TIDAL_160323_027.JPG	[4] TIDAL_160323_033.JPG
[5] TIDAL_160323_034.JPG	[6] TIDAL_160323_039.JPG	[7] TIDAL_160323_042.JPG
[8] TIDAL_160323_049.JPG	[9] TIDAL_160323_051.JPG	[10] TIDAL_160323_056.JPG
[11] TIDAL_160323_062.JPG	[12] TIDAL_160323_064.JPG	[13] TIDAL_160323_066.JPG
[14] TIDAL_160323_069.JPG	[15] TIDAL_160323_076.JPG	[16] TIDAL_160323_079.JPG
[17] TIDAL_160323_085.JPG	[18] TIDAL_160323_088.JPG	[19] TIDAL_160323_095.JPG
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[23] TIDAL_160323_113.JPG	[24] TIDAL_160323_121.JPG	[25] TIDAL_160323_130.JPG
[26] TIDAL_160323_133.JPG	[27] TIDAL_160323_136.JPG	[28] TIDAL_160323_138.JPG
[29] TIDAL_160323_146.JPG	[30] TIDAL_160323_151.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. TIDAL_160323_034.JPG: Predicting the Peak Bloom: Everyone wants to know when the cherry trees will bloom. National Park Service horticulturists have the tricky job of making the prediction. It is not mysterious; rather, it involves knowing what to look for. Starting in early March, they check the size of the buds and measure how quickly they are growing. Horticulturists consult records from years past and forecasts for the weather ahead. They also get help from the "indicator tree," a tree just east of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, that has consistently bloomed about ten days before the others -- a clear sign of the beauty to come.
2. TIDAL_160323_042.JPG: "The Nation's Greatest Springtime Celebration" The National Cherry Blossom Festival features spectacular events surrounding traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. People can enjoy everything from free performances to tree plantings throughout the region. The Festival includes an opening ceremony, kite festival, fireworks, parade, sports, and much more, commemorating the gift of cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.
3. TIDAL_160323_051.JPG: "Let Me Congratulate You on the Cherry Blossom Festival" The celebration, held in 1927, to commemorate the 1912 planting of the cherry trees, captured the attention of Edith Wilson, widow of President Woodrow Wilson. She wrote to organizer Elise Marsteller Mulliken in appreciation of its merit. A second celebration took place in 1934, and in time, an annual festival signaled the arrival of spring in Washington, DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival continues these traditions by promoting the beauty of nature and international friendship through year-round programs, events, and educational initiatives that enhance our environment, showcase arts and culture, and build community spirit.
4. TIDAL_160323_056.JPG: After her attendance, former First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson wrote a letter (above) to Festival organizer, Elise Marsteller Mulliken, commending her accomplishments. A 1927 newspaper article (right) tells about the Festival.
5. TIDAL_160323_069.JPG: River Bottom to Parkland: Where you are standing was originally the bottom of the Potomac River. The shoreline roughly paralleled 15th Street, skirted around the Washington Monument which stood almost at the river's edge, and then followed what is now the current route of Constitution Avenue. In the 1880s, planners developed a strategy for reclaiming this area, which at low tide was nothing but mud flats. Dredging operations and seawall construction created the Tidal Basin and East and West Potomac Parks. In 1897, the United States Congress designated this new section of the city as parkland "for the recreation and scenic pleasure of the people." This Currier and Ives print shows the original Potomac shoreline. Note how close the Washington Monument is to the river. This photograph, taken in 1892, shows the newly created Hains Point area. The edge of the Tidal Basin, seen in the lower right, was still under construction.
6. TIDAL_160323_076.JPG: This Currier and Ives print shows the original Potomac shoreline. Note how close the Washington Monument is to the river.
7. TIDAL_160323_079.JPG: This photograph, taken in 1892, shows the newly created Hains Point area. The edge of the Tidal Basin, seen in the lower right, was still under construction.
8. TIDAL_160323_113.JPG: Warning: No Drone Zone KnowBeforeYouFly.org
9. TIDAL_160323_146.JPG: Keeping the Cherry Trees Healthy: Flowering cherry trees need constant care to keep them growing and blooming well. They are pruned once a year to remove damaged or diseased limbs. A second annual pruning shapes the trees. Soil that has been compacted -- one of the great dangers to the trees' health -- must be aerated so that oxygen and moisture can reach their roots. Dead trees are replaced with young saplings grown from cuttings so the original stock is constantly replenished. Healthy, well-maintained trees live longer and produce more blooms. National Park Service arborists have been so successful in their work that about 100 of the more than 3,000 trees planted in 1912 survive today. A Gift for Japan: The famed cherry trees along the Arakawa River near Tokyo, which provided the parent stock for the original 1912 gift to Washington, DC had fallen into decline after World War II. Japan requested assistance in rejuvenating the grove in the Adachi Ward; in 1952, the National Park Service shipped budwood from descendants of the original trees to Tokyo. Cherry Trees Are Their Business: The trees have been cared for and maintained using the best-known tree care practices since they arrived from the city of Tokyo in 1912. The tree crew is made up of trained professionals and certified arborists. They are dedicated, many working for more than twenty years, and a few have been second-generation tree crew members. Their work is year-round and demanding, requiring attention to the numerous varieties of cherry blossom trees that have become world-renowned. Keeping tools clean and sharp is essential for successful pruning. Clean cuts made by bypass pruners, hand saws, and chain saws minimize the danger that pests or disease will harm the trees. Wearing proper safety clothing and goggles protects the tree crew members.
  User comment: Keeping the Cherry Trees Healthy: Flowering cherry trees need constant care to keep them growing and blooming well. They are pruned once a year to remove damaged or diseased limbs. A second annual pruning shapes the trees. Soil that has been compacted -- one of the great dangers to the trees' health -- must be aerated so that oxygen and moisture can reach their roots. Dead trees are replaced with young saplings grown from cuttings so the original stock is constantly replenished. Healthy, well-maintained trees live longer and produce more blooms. National Park Service arborists have been so successful in their work that about 100 of the more than 3,000 trees planted in 1912 survive today. A Gift for Japan: The famed cherry trees along the Arakawa River near Tokyo, which provided the parent stock for the original 1912 gift to Washington, DC had fallen into decline after World War II. Japan requested assistance in rejuvenating the grove in the Adachi Ward; in 1952, the National Park Service shipped budwood from descendants of the original trees to Tokyo. Cherry Trees Are Their Business: The trees have been cared for and maintained using the best-known tree care practices since they arrived from the city of Tokyo in 1912. The tree crew is made up of trained professionals and certified arborists. They are dedicated, many working for more than twenty years, and a few have been second-generation tree crew members. Their work is year-round and demanding, requiring attention to the numerous varieties of cherry blossom trees that have become world-renowned. Keeping tools clean and sharp is essential for successful pruning. Clean cuts made by bypass pruners, hand saws, and chain saws minimize the danger that pests or disease will harm the trees. Wearing proper safety clothing and goggles protects the tree crew members.
Wikipedia Description: Tidal Basin (District of Columbia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tidal Basin is a partially man-made inlet adjacent to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It is part of West Potomac Park and is surrounded by the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The basin covers an area of about 107 acres and is 10 feet deep.

The concept of the Tidal Basin originated in the 1880s to serve both as a visual centerpiece and as a means for flushing the Washington Channel, a harbor separated from the Potomac River by fill lands where East Potomac Park is situated. Peter Conover Hains, an engineering officer in the U.S. Army, oversaw the design and construction.

The basin is designed to release 250 million gallons of water captured at high tide twice a day. The inlet gates, located on the Potomac side of the basin, allow water to enter the basin during high tide. During this time, the outlet gates, on the Washington Channel side, close to store incoming water and block the flow of water and sediment into the channel. As the tide begins to ebb, the general outflow of water from the basin forces the inlet gates to close. This same force is applied to the outlet gates, which open into the channel. Silt build up is swept away by the extra force of water running from the Tidal Basin through the channel. The gates are maintained as navigable by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has recently completed a project to restore the functioning of the gates.

The Tidal Basin was the scene of a scandalous drunken incident involving the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, Congressman Wilbur Mills. On October 7, 1974, with an Argentine stripper known as Fanne Foxe. Mills' car, driven by a former Nixon staffer, was stopped by US Park police late at night because the driver had not turned on the lights. Mills was intoxicated, and his face was cut from a scuffle with Foxe. When police approached the car, Foxe leapt from the car and jumped into the nearby Tidal Basin. Mills acknowledged his alcoholism, sought treatment at the West Palm Beach Institute, and joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Despite the scandal, he was re-elected to Congress in November 1974 with 60% of the vote, but in December he drunkenly staggered onstage at a Boston strip club where Ms. Foxe was performing. Soon after this second embarrassment Mills was forced to step down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. He did not seek re-election in 1976.
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