Monday, May 31, 2010

The AHS National Convention

Good Morning Daylily Friends,

We left home at about 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning with my good friend David Arthur doing the driving. Camilla and Diana sat in the back seats, and I sat up front in the passenger seat. The travel to the convention was filled with excitement. We stopped only once to get a sandwich, and we arrived and checked in at about 2:45 p.m. At the Convention there were "baskets" prepared by each of the Georgia Clubs, and each basket was so enticing. Frankly, our basket from Cobb County was the best. The baskets were sold by using raffle tickets, but I do not know how many raffle tickets were actually sold. We went to the meeting with Pat Bonner because both the Arthurs and the Waldrops had duty as "Bus Captains." Sadly, we didn't get to see David and Camilla as much as we would have liked during the Convention because, as I say, we both had Bus Captain duties. Diana and I had "Bus Eight" and it was a singular delight to be with so many daylily friends. In fact, we enjoyed each others company so much that we had our picture taken together with our Bus Driver.

The first garden that we saw on Friday morning was at the home of Don and Nancy Eller. I was glad to see their new introductions, and I was particularly pleased to see the results of Don's "conversion work." Diana spotted Nancy's TREVA IN RED, and indeed, it was a beauty. In fact, I took a picture of Nancy and Diana while Diana admired TREVA IN RED. I might also add that TREVA IN RED is now blooming here in our own garden. The next garden that we visited was at the home of Ron and Pat Bonner. Ron and Pat always seem so relaxed, but they choose to give uncounted hours in their work to maintain their garden. When Diana went over to greet Ron she was wearing her "umbrella hat." Ron thought that the hat was funny, so he and Diana had a good laugh. I might note that my PASTOR LAURIE ANN MOELLER was blooming very well at both the Eller and the Bonner gardens. The third garden that we saw on Thursday was the garden of Dr. Chappell Collins. We saw Dr. Collins' garden after our lunch. I expected the garden to be in "afternoon remission." I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dr. Collins' daylilies were not in remission. Instead, his daylilies looked very fresh. Congratulations to Dr. Collins for having such a beautiful garden. I am showing a picture of several of our members as they were being greeted by Dr. Collins.

On Saturday morning the first garden that we visited was the garden of Gene and Sandra Seago. They live just one block from Valdosta State University. As you look at the front of their home you would never know that they have a back yard of such immaculate garden perfection. As you walk beside their home you are greeted by beautiful blue hydrangea bushes. You walk further and you see many different flowers and of course countless daylilies. I am showing a picture of Carolyn Herndon as she admired some of the flowers. Sadly, we had to leave the Seago home, but then we were elated to see the country softness of the of the Tauton residence. The first thing that I noticed was the large lake, and I knew that there had to be resident alligators in the lake. I waited for a few minutes to see if I saw any, but then Diana and Dan and Jackie Bachman came by to also see the lake. I took their picture with the Lake in the background. There were so many flowers in the Tauton garden that I just lost track of what I saw. However, I particularly remember seeing SPARKS DANCING WITH THE STARS. Our bus driver Barry then took us to lunch at the "Old Country Time Buffet." Now, if you want southern cooking at its greasy best, then the Buffet is the place for you. I enjoyed all of the wonderful options, and then on the way out of the Buffet I saw that "Ribs" were being served. Even though I had eaten too much, I took a big rib, and ate it on the way back to the bus.

Well, after two days of adventure, the last garden that was seen by those on Bus Eight was the Tim Bell garden. Oh what a joy! Again, even though we arrived at the garden after we had our lunch, and while the afternoon sun was hot, nevertheless, the daylilies were as fresh as the morning dew. Tim greeted us on our bus and welcomed us to his garden. Diana and I walked and walked, and we could never see enough to satisfy our desire so we kept looking. Then Diana and I sat on a bench overlooking Bell Lake. Diana then began walking the garden again, but I stayed behind and just admired the beauty of Bell Lake. The Purple Martin birds were happily catching bugs in the air, and the gentle breeze brought a little ripple in the lake waters. I'm showing a picture of what I saw.

Of course, as is often said, every garden has its own beauty. There were the backyard gardens, the formal gardens, and the hybridizer gardens. We were treated to a full seven course meal; it was the best!

When we arrived back home we were glad to see 18 friends from the Convention who stopped to visit. All were greeted, and the person who came from the greatest distance away was Michael Falconer. Michael is from Canada. I must give adulation and appreciation to my daughter Kelley and to her husband Michael for cleaning the old blooms in the Greenhouse. There was so much to see, but I would not have had time to do the cleaning myself. In my opinion, the best bloom was Seedling 1-385. I showed it during my last post, but it bloomed again. Notably and importantly, it was not harmed by the watering in the Greenhouse on either Friday and Saturday while we were away. It stood the watering very well, and only had slight damage to its bottom petal. I'm showing a picture.

Well, we had a grand time at the Convention! Thanks to all who worked so hard to make it a reality. Your hard work is appreciated by those who love daylilies.

Bill

6 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your wonderful trip summary. It was like reliving the whole trip. I was one of the lucky attendees who got to have Bill and Diana as captains. What a team -THE best bus captains I have ever shared a trip with!

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  2. Thanks for your comment Susan. It was such a "grand adventure"!
    Bill

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  3. My mom took a picture of my seedling blooming for me. Right now i'm in El Salvador planning to fly out tomorrow. The volcanic eruption, and hurricane, prevented our group from leaving there on wednesday. I hope it is still blooming when i get back. I will have to show it to you! It looked good. Light orange self with dark purple eye.
    Luke Van de Vate

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  4. from leaving guatemala... not el salvador
    luke

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  5. From leaving Guatemala, not El Salvador on Wednesday.
    Luke

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  6. Luke you are indeed a busy young man! Doing "Missionary work," traveling to far away places, but still growing gorgeous daylilies. Look forward to seeing you when you return.
    Bill

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