Dodwood!

April 24

As a child we visited Yosemite a lot. One of my clearest memories was of spotting the snow white petals of Dogwood trees as we got close to the park entrance. The appearance of these trees meant we were about to arrive. "Dogwood!" my mother would shout. And after that whenever we saw one we would shout together.

I now live in a climate where Dogwoods grow abundantly. And so we play the game as a family yelling as we spot Dogwoods in bloom. Last year we finally planted two of our own, one white and one pink, one for each of our girls. As little as the trees are, they bloomed this spring. "Dogwood!"