Bonsai!

Had a pretty neat experience on the way from VA to NC yesterday.  I've passed by a sign on the side of Route 58 many times on this trip and a sign along the roadside has caught my attention and beckoned me to stop for years.  However, I've always been in a rush to get home so I've never taken the opportunity.  The sign says something to the effect of "Drive In Bonsai Tree Farm" and it's next to an otherwise unnoticeable dirt road.  On this particular trip I had no deadline to meet and had Emily and Colin along with me so we stopped in to check it out.

The name of the place is Park's Bonsai Nursery.  When we pulled from the main road, we drove down one of the bumpiest dirt paths I've ever traversed for what seemed to be about 1/4 mile.  We passed rows of seemingly newly planted crops of some indiscernible type until we finally reached the end of the path where a "No Trespassing" sign loomed and a large cow of a dog came out to greet us.  The dog, Lucky, was a beast of a thing in density but he was super friendly and apparently loves male crotches.  Shortly behind him was a small, Asian woman who met us in full gardening garb and led us to the bonsai greenhouse which couldn't be readily seen from the road.  Once there, we toured what had to be a few hundred bonsai trees of many different varieties and ages.  It was a really surprisingly large selection for what seemed like a tiny operation by all outside appearances.  I told the Asian lady that the primary exposure to me for bonsai trees was based on the Karate Kid movie and she laughed.  We saw several neat looking trees but ended up settling on a traditional juniper breed.  Here's hoping I can keep it alive for at least a year.