Spring has Sprung at the Philadelphia Flower Show
The thesaurus left something out.
I looked up synonyms for the word "miserable" on thesaurus.com and came up with the following: "contemptible, deplorable, despicable, detestable, godforsaken..." and so on. All accurate, I suppose, but there was one glaring omission. If you really want to get a feel for the word "miserable," simply substitute the phrase "Philadelphia in the winter."
Philly winters stink. Especially this one. We've had 85 feet of snow, trash hasn't been collected in weeks, entire city blocks have disappeared. It's been ugly and spring is still weeks away.
Which is why, every year in late February or early March, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society gifts we winter-weary Philadelphians with a true balm for our souls--the glorious Philadelphia Flower Show.
The name of the event hardly does it justice. This isn't just about flowers, this is an almost spiritual foray into a world combining nature's wonder with man's creativity. And the result is simply spectacular.
The centerpiece of this year's show is a hot air balloon, suspended from the ceiling of the Philadelphia Convention Center. A hot air balloon inside a building is amazing in itself. But this one is designed with a map of the world covering the balloon--with the entire surface of every continent and ocean covered with flowers. The oceans are made up of blue pansies while the continents consist of daffodils and other flowers--just breathtaking.
This year's theme is "Passport to the World" and features exhibits showcasing plant life from countries around the globe. Particularly striking is the display honoring Africa, with tribal masks and costumes created entirely from flowers, grasses and other plant materials.
As if the feast for the eyes weren't intoxicating enough, if you close your eyes and inhale deeply, nature's perfume refreshes like a cool breeze during a 95 degree summer day in Philly. (Oh yeah, our summers can be pretty miserable, too. It's not the heat, it's the humidity....)
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