Member-only story
On a gray day in Pittsburgh
On a dreary day in Pittsburgh, icy stuff blowing around, the doldrums of late january, I had enough and needed some color in my life. So it was fortunate that I saw the ad for the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai show at the Phipps Conservatory. Getting out and driving through the weather was actually pretty exciting. I love driving in the snow. The parking was pretty easy, made more so by the Phipps timed entry ticket process. At the entrance Ikebana were presented but they were actually could rightly be called origami as each leaf and flower petal was cut from colored paper.
Walking into the main hall of the conservatory was like stepping into a completely different world. The warmth and humidity perfect for tropical plants was also perfect for this human coming in from this cold January day in Pittsburgh. The central rotunda was lined with a profusion of orchids all in the full expression of their bloom. The gray icy precipitation melting against the warm glass is the perfect counterpoint for these tropical blooms.
It is amazing to me that the orchids were all in full bloom with no sign of any one bloom fading or deteriorating in any way.
