Visiting with "The Puget Sound Daylily Club."

Hello Daylily Friends,

I've just experienced a once in a lifetime adventure.  I am sitting in the waiting area at Gate S9 in the airport in Seattle, Washington, after having visited with the Puget Sound Daylily Club.  Early this past Friday morning I boarded a plane in Atlanta, Georgia, and took a five hour flight to Seattle.  My new friend, Caroline Zebroski, met me at the Seattle Airport, and she took me to The Hampton Inn where she made arrangements for me to stay for the weekend.  At The Hampton Inn I met another new friend, Marilyn Glenn, and the three of us talked, and then we went together and saw the sights all around Seattle.  I saw two grand gardens.  The first garden was the Elda Boehm Paradise Garden at the Setak Community Center, and the second garden was at the University of Washington.  Both gardens were amazing, and I was pleased to see the daylilies emerging from their winter rest at the Boehm garden.  I likewise saw The University of Washington, including both the basketball and football stadiums, Mt. Ranier, the Space Needle, the Boeing Aircraft Company, many waterways, and we eventually went to the "Pike Place Farmer's Market."  I have to tell you more about the Farmer's Market.

What a place!  Pike Place Market is over a hundred years old, and is a place where practically everything is sold.  I saw wonderful bouquets selling for only $10.00.  I saw fresh fish of every type and description, many crafts, and I saw people from every background.  And everything was very clean.  The streets are made of cobblestone, vegetables of every type are sold, and Pike Place is where the Starbucks Coffee shops began.  All three of us sampled cheese, various flavors of Olive oils, and we also sampled a fruit that tasted like a Pear.  We eventually went to "Cutter's" Seafood
Restaurant, and we met the most amazing waitress.  She had a wonderful appearance, and her hair was amazingly arranged.  I just have to show a picture.  The meal was wonderful, and we all talked well into the evening hours.  We soon went back to the hotel where I had a good night's sleep, so as to be ready for the daylily meeting the following morning.

At the meeting I was made to feel very welcome, and I was particularly delighted to meet the youngest member of the Club, Ms. Jamie Sheldon, and her mother Kathryn as well.  Jamie purchased my daylily, LYDIA'S REGAL ROBE, and I certainly hope that it does well for her.  Indeed, the entire auction went very well, and I hope for good news as to how my flowers grow in Washington.  After the meeting I was privileged to take a picture of the Club.  What a wonderful experience it was to meet everyone from the Puget Sound Club, and to now have a close relationship with the members.

After the meeting we went to supper at a local Yacht Club, which was right on the water.  The scene was so idyllic, and I ordered the "Fish and Chips," and the waitress took our picture.  Back at the hotel I had a good night's rest, but I was up early to catch the flight back to Atlanta.  Delta's plane was a Boeing A330, and it was a newer jet.  Very comfortable.

Visiting Daylily Clubs all across the Country has given me a new perspective about the importance of our National Organization.  We are young and old, and everything in between, we are laborers and doctors, we are many nationalities and have  myriad levels of education, and yet we are all the same: we love daylilies!

More news soon.  Back home in the Greenhouse, all is well.

Bill