Lots of people are in DC this week, simply to see the cherry trees. And they are gorgeous. Pink and white blossoms are everywhere, even gently floating on the spring winds. But my husband has said, and I agree that the absolute best trees to be found are the "unofficial ones".

Don't get me wrong. The ones on the National Mall right now are eye-poppingly beautiful, and if you want to see the monuments like they look on the postcards (except with more people) now is the time to go. And the masses of cherry blossoms over the Potomac are simply sublime.

Having said that, I still maintain that the most beautiful trees are, for the most part, escaping the tourists' cameras, because they're not on the cherry blossom tours. They're the volunteers that grow in unexpected places, neglected and allowed to grow in odd curves, with uneven branches and asymetrical individuality. They're on property edges and woodlots, in the corners of apartment complexes, shy and beautiful.

Spotting them brings a moment of peace and calm into the busy noise of the city. Each is a gift, a surprise waiting to unfold to the alert watcher. In the full grandeur of the massed cherry trees, it can be easy to miss the single tree, the perfect blossom, but each of these stands out, drawing the eye and the heart.