wall art + springtime

At Christmas I received a framed piece of art from Holly that has all the neighborhoods of Chicago graphically represented.

That inspired me to frame four old maps I have, and my dad found a print of Pike Place Market in our garage that he gave me.

So now my apartment has art on the walls, which really brightens it up!

As for the springtime part, it hasn't been all that sunny or warm lately, but I've still made it outside in between rain showers.

I went for a walk around my neighborhood and took pictures of what's blooming.

It's fun to explore and watch the seasons change in a new neighborhood!

Today my parents and Holly and I went to the Burke Museum on the UW campus to see a photography exhibit called The Owl and the Woodpecker.  Paul Bannick, the photographer, specializes in birds of North America, and his shots of a wide variety of birds are stunning.  You can see a slideshow of his work here.

We walked around the UW campus to their quad, where the cherry trees are full of blossoms.  Dad, Holly, and Mom are in the photo below if you look closely.

I can't believe in the almost 20 years we've lived here, this was my first time seeing this spring spectacle!  There are many other species of cherry trees on the campus that haven't even started blooming yet.  The place was crawling with people, taking pictures and picnic-ing and climbing up in the branches.