DANCING IN THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Hello from Bellingham....what a perfect day for a show at the Bloedel-Donovan Park gym! I barely made it from Wenatchee in time to get our NCW entries on the tables before the 9:30 am judges' meeting. Having miscalculated the amount of time it would take to get to the show site from my home in East Wenatchee, I drove as fast I safely could, from the time I left my house around 6:00 am, until I landed in the parking lot at the western end of beautiful Lake Whatcom. Driving north on I-5 was a stimulating cognitive exercise for me, theoretically diffusing the anxiety that was keeping me on edge. As each northbound exit passed, I engaged in a simple formula to estimate when I might arrive at the show. I knew I had to take exit ramp 254, so I would calculate where I was (i.e. exit 199), how many miles I had left to go (55), how fast I was going (76 mph) and how that would impact my arrival time (55/78=.72368 - equivalent to almost 3/4 of an hour, or about 43-45 minutes to arrival). Then I would elevate that formula by mentally adjusting the time it said it was on my clock, i.e. 8:45 am to ACTUAL time, subtract 4 minutes from the time my clock said it was (since my clock is running 4 minutes fast), and figure out whether I had any chance at all of getting there on time 8:45-4=8:41, 49 minutes to ETA 9:30). You don't have to be Stephen Hawking to conclude that I was shaving it pretty close!

As I rolled into the lot, scanning for an open spot, I saw I was not the only one - several others were carefully lifting trays of dahlias in black vases from the backs of their SUVs, vans or back seats. As if I was unaware, as soon as I walked in one of the ladies reminded me that I had to hurry, because they were getting ready to start the meeting. Suddenly, I was surrounded by my dahlia "family,", as Alli Richards, Terry & Bob Schroeder, Rosemary Freeman and others materialized out of nowhere, offering to help me get things placed. Wow! Talk about feeling "lifted up!" I felt like the weight of the world had been taken off my shoulders, and I was able to breathe again.....Thank you, everyone, who helped me yesterday at 9:29 am!

At the judges' meeting, I learned that I once again would have the honor of being part of Rosemary Freeman's judging team. I love working with Rosemary - she is such a great teacher, and always provides opportunities for judges and clerks on her team to have a voice in the decisions. Vera Williamson from Vancouver, BC, and Hills Collins, from Snohomish County completed our team. Today, it was stellars and junior entries for us, and when all was said and done, I had a chance to have a nice visit with Vera, whom I'd never met prior to today. Rosemary mentioned something about my blog, and asked Vera if she had a computer. Cute and quick as can be, Vera answered "Oh no! I don't have time for computers - if I had a computer, I wouldn't have any time to do all the things I have to do - I have to mow my lawn, I play bridge twice a week, I go to the carriage races, and I have to tend my garden - oh I am so busy! Maybe in a few years, when I get old, I might have more time - then I can get a computer. But I know when I have one, I will probably want to spend all day on it!" Vera, a retired schoolteacher, is soon to be 85 years young, and a total delight! She chatted with us about so many things - her career, where she taught and coached everything from physical education to home economics, her flowers, and her experience with crossing the border with a carload of dahlias. She talked about how well it went this trip, with the border agent being able to see through her car windows, who smiled at her and waved her through with no hassles. On the other hand, however, she lamented her history with a longtime female border agent who is nothing short of mean and nasty when Vera tries to cross with dahlias - "Huh! Flowers? Do they have THRIPS?" "Pull over and wait until the agriculture man gets here at 8:00!" and "Don't get out - STAY in the car!" Vera, who used to attend shows every weekend, now only attends three, due more to the difficulty of crossing the border with dahlias than her advancing age - she still remains a tough competitor through and through.

Around 12:30 I walked over to the Pavilion, where lunch was being served to judges and clerks. My friend Dick Williams of Skipley fame, was right behind me, and we started to chat while we waited in line. He was a good friend of Dad's and one of those people we could always depend on to come over and help us judge our shows in the early days.  A few weeks ago, Dick and I sat together at the Snohomish County Dahlia Society awards presentation, and at that time, he told me he thought he might give up grow and showing dahlias in a couple more years, that it was getting to be too much, with all the care and time required. I think his wife would like to have him home more, and I can certainly understand that. I personally can't imagine the dahlia world without Dick Williams on the head table, but okay....if that's what he says he is going to do, then he might do it. We got our sandwiches, fruit and veggies, both decided to wait until later to get cake and coffee, and found a spot at one of the tables. We talked about our gardens, and about how important it is to preserve history. Knowing this,  Dad left all his old dahlia bulletins and many of his dahlia notes to Dick, because they would be well taken care of. I could see that Dick was honored by the trust that Dad placed in him, and he mentioned another dahlia person that I remember, Bess Owens, who also had many things from Dad's tenure in the dahlia world. Apparently when Bess passed on, she also left many of these documents to Dick. His care and respect for these connections to the past is evident, and he mentioned that he doesn't know what will happen to them when he is gone. He is soon to be 79 years old, and in perfect health but he goes to the doctor once a year "whether I need to or not!" He doesn't take any medications except for glucosamine for that bad knee he got from playing in a softball league a few years back. Whatta guy! I told him that if I am still around when he passes, I would be happy to take care of those historical items for him. He seemed  to think that was a pretty good idea, so hopefully we have solved that problem. Although, to be perfectly frank, I think Dick Williams might outlive us all!

At the end of the day, I was reminded of how this pursuit of dahlia perfection keeps people young. You just can't escape the cycle of life when you work with dahlias at this level. We are constantly starting over, from when we compete during the summer with bees for pollinization of pods, to harvesting the seed in the fall, to germination in late winter, to planting, tending and hardening infant plants, and come spring,  transplanting in optimally prepared ground, and yielding to elements of natural selection by thinning accordingly. Those among us who don't hybridize enjoy this cycle of renewal through cutting down their dahlias in late fall, digging tuber clumps after the eyes have set, cleaning, dividing and storing the tubers in dark, cool places throughout the winter, checking on them every now and then, and in February or March, maybe starting them on the bench or the greenhouse, taking cuttings, tending the "babies" and preparing them to be part of this year's "family."

DICK WILLIAMS WITH HIS AWARD WINNING BALL DAHLIA (THE PINK ONE) NAMED FOR HIS MOTHER.

My dad was a great example of that, passing away just short of his 86th birthday. He was a person who LOVED life and everything in it. He lived life to the fullest, taking advantage of every waking minute to challenge the status quo - he was always changing things, in big and small ways, usually making the world a better place as a result. But he loved his rich foods, and smoked cigarettes well into his fifties. Heredity and those lifestyle choices constantly butted up against the vigor that Dad pursued by staying active in his garden, in his social and community activities and through hunting and fishing. In the long run, coronary artery disease and diabetes got the better of him, but not until late in life - he probably would have lived into his nineties or better, had he made some different choices in his earlier years. I am blessed to have his blood coursing through my veins, and hopeful that, as a non-smoker and healthier (most of the time!) eater, I might approach or enter my eighties and nineties with the vim and vigor of Dad, Dick, Vera, and many more like them in the dahlia world. It might just give me a chance to pass on the inspiration that has been so freely shared with me. And if you're starting to feel old, just take two dahlia shows, and call me in the morning!