Each year, the cherry trees on the mall break forth in a riotous beauty that is loved by millions.  And nope, that isn't a photo from the weekend-long celebration of pink blossoms and asian culture that filled the DC Mall this weekend.

That is a photo from Burke Lake Park, miles and miles away in Northern Virginia.  There are several reasons for this.

Reason the First: we arrived at the Fairfax Metro Stop at 10:30 am, figuring we'd get there whenever, we wouldn't stress about missing the parade that started at 11, and maybe we'd miss the crowds.  About 10 gagillion other people had the same idea, and we took one look at the line waiting to get to the line for the line that was boarding the Metro and walked - actually, ran - the other way.  For lo - we may be parents of small children, but we are not insane.

Reason the Second: we had promised our four-year-olds a train ride.  This was neither intelligent on our part, nor negotiable on theirs.

Reason the Third:  Burke Lake Park is made of awesome.  It said so on my iPhone, so it must be true.  Also, there's tons to do on a nice day, it's a gorgeous greenspace, and while some spots (hello mini golf people, I'm looking at you) seem carefully calculated to remove all of your money from your pockets, others are charming in both setup and affordability.  There's a children's railroad ($1.50/$2 adults) - with a tunnel - and an engineer in full striped getup.  A carosel ($1) waits nearby, along with a jungle gym.  Disc golf and the natural (and free) wonders of the lake (the biggest heron I've ever seen, for instance) are nearby.  And that's something like a third of the park.  And there is an ice cream parlor as well (Really good ice cream.  Fairly cheap.  nom nom.).   There is an admission fee if you are not a Fairfax County resident - but I'll happily support a park like this with my $8 per car. 

We had a fantastic time - the kids marveled at how well their parents shifted gears and became accustomed to their new surroundings, and then proceded to remind us that being flexible is part of living life to the fullest.  Before they resumed chasing each other around yelling 'neener!'  Okay, yes.  we did too.