Let's go fly a kite...

Even though the cherry blossoms have gone, the cherry blossom festival is in full swing and one of the big mainstays here in DC is the kite festival that happens on the mall.  In past years when we were living in DC, we always watched a bit from the periphery.  But now with our own child in tow, we felt like we had the the golden ticket to belong on the inside.  Who says there aren't perks to having kids?

We were expecting rain and luckily we avoided that but it still meant some gray skies  - the pictures aren't as sunny as I would normally like but then again, the day wasn't sunny - no surprise there.  But we weren't to be deterred - picnic packed! kite packed (by our kind friends who joined us)!  It's hard to describe the whole thing but the sky is literally flooded with kites - big ones, small ones (scroll down for a picture of the whale kite!)...if they're high enough it almost looks like an approaching swarm of something dubious.

And finally, they have the cherry blossom stage set up at the base of the Washington Monument.  After our failed attempt the Blueberry Festival, we've been a bit out of the festival circuit here in the US and I completely forgot that no festival is complete without some sort of patriotic display - in this case, cloggers from the Blue Mountains proudly sporting American flag vests.  I have to say though, their enthusiasm was totally contagious.  Also, on a more alarming note, they did a final number to John Phillips Souza and when they asked the audience (of literally hundreds) if they knew who Souza was, only about two people in addition to us, the couple we were with and their 8 year old daughter raised their hands.  Uh oh.

Our group kite takes flight...

The Clydesdales were out in case kite fliers got rowdy.

Whales...flags...you name it, there was a kite of it.

Kite Festival banners...

Kites and flags, flags and more kites.

Small kites.

Big kites. This thing must have been 100 feet tall.

With the clouds in the sky this could pass for a swarm of locusts.

Our 8 year old companion astutely pointed out that there was an "Under the Sea" theme.
I didn't even get it until she said something.

On that note, maybe Finding Nemo?

And no festival of any kind is complete without American flag apparel - the Blue Mountain Cloggers
do their thing on the Cherry Blossom stage.

A grand old flag - but not a kite.

All photos by The New Diplomat's Wife.