How Appropriate

As much as I wanted to rush up to meet my brand new baby niece, we had a family tradition to uphold tonight: our annual trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The theme of this year's show was Hawaii, which was very timely given our trip there this past fall. (Also coincidental? Last year's theme was Paris. Looking back, it turns out I was wrong about it being the closest we'd get to the real thing!) I think the Hawaiian theme with all of its lush tropical plants made for one of the best shows yet.


When we first walked into the exhibit hall, we were greeted with a simulation of ocean waves overhead, complete with images of sharks and schools of fish swimming speedily past.




Beyond the wave, as expected, we found an abundance of lush greens and tropical flowers and even a towering waterfall!







Throughout the show we found scenes that were familiar from our time in Hawaii, from a recreation of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor to images of sea turtles to beachside surf shops.






Likewise we saw porches and decks that took us right back, as well as recreated storefronts that might have, if art supply and eyeglass stores were ever decorated with such dramatic floral arrangements.





My favorite part, though, was the City Harvest display, with its wall of lettuces and especially the tomatoes growing overhead. Though I don't know if that set-up would do any good deterring the squirrels from stealing our tomatoes.




As we made our way around the show, Daddy got to spend some quality time with his girls. Even Kate, who surprised us both by abandoning me -- more than once! -- to grab a hold of his hand. I might have been offended if seeing him walking with the two of them weren't so darn cute.




While walking with his girls, we stumbled upon Mom-Mom's garden club's tablescape: "The Kona Surprise." It won first place from one of the judgings, and we were equally impressed. Congrats, Mom-Mom!




Besides Mom-Mom's display, the girls' favorite part was the Camden Children's Garden exhibit, especially the drums. Daddy even got in on it too!







The girls also enjoyed stopping to smell the flowers...




...and spotting some animal friends.




Of all the great things to see, though, the best moment came watching Em and Kate observing some artwork, as their holding hands turned into a hug. They have moments like that all the time, when they'll just randomly give each other a hug, and I hope it never ends.




By the time we covered the whole show, we were all a little tired, but the girls stayed so well-behaved. I think we all enjoyed reminiscing a little bit about our memorable Hawaiian vacation!