I didn't use to like flowers all that much. Maybe it's because I grew up in Arizona and didn't really see them much or maybe it's because I was a determined Tomboy for most of my life. When I went to Japan, that all changed. Flowers run rampant there. On Hokkaido, I saw fields of lavender and tulips and dozens of other flowers I don't know the names of. Everyone's front yards were painstakingly maintained and absolutely beautiful.
I remember very clearly one day as I rode past a house in Hakodate whose lawn was filled with tulips. Hundreds of tulips of all shapes and sizes and colors covered the lawn. I was speechless. It was beautiful. I actually started tearing up and taking pictures like crazy. I noticed that my indifference towards flowers had definitely changed.
Every year the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point comes and goes. I have always wanted to go, but I always miss it. Not this year. This year, my friend and I went and it did not disappoint. I wish I had a better camera.
