A Secret Field Trip

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Sh! Don’t tell Bill that today the boys and I had a top secret field trip out to Lynnville, Indiana.  What’s in Lynnville, you ask? Bogan’s Bonsai. As soon as we pulled up in front of the house, I knew we were in the right place.

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Bill has been a long time fan of bonsai trees, probably since childhood and quite possibly from his many trips to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens where there is a wonderful collection of bonsai. 

The boys and I wanted to get Bill a bonsai back at Christmas but when I consulted with our friend, the botanic director at Evansville Botanical Gardens, he suggested I contact the Bogans.  Little did I know how big of a learning curve we had in front of us.  First, the Bogans pronounced bonsai like BONEz-eye, not BONz-eye.  Since they were wearing gold bonsai necklaces, living and breathing with these plants for thirty years, I deferred to their pronunciation.  Secondly, bonsai are seasonal here. They live in greenhouses during December we had to wait until now to grant this wish.

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These folks took their trees seriously.  They had an amazing assortment and several trees that were quite old (and hence very spendy). 

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After looking at rows and rows of little trees, the boys chose this one for Bill and then each one selected a small statue to rest at its base.

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It is a barberry tree.

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Don’t tell Bill that it’s currently hiding out in the backyard.  Yes, the backyard.  These little guys require daily water and live outside.  I hope we have not given Bill a gift destined to death. 

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