Tulips 2009

We're not making any trips to Germany this year. First off, Hotel Burkjabbusch (or was it Jabbkhalter?) has since closed its doors. Second, we, like the rest of the country, aren't exactly feeling flush.

So we have to take in the local sites. And did we ever this weekend at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, where we saw tulips, tulips and, you guessed it, tulips.

We looked over the display gardens at Roozengaarde (which I am sad to say is not owned and operated by Tolkein-esque elves), where they feature the blossoms they hope to sell you in bulb form. We were particularly excited by a pink variety called "Ninja" which we can only assume emits a poisonous gas whenever your guard is down. Toby was unconvinced by my insistence that there are in fact carnivorous tulips large enough to eat small children.


Now everyone going to the tulip festival delights at finding that stray yellow blossom amongst the red field, but we're no holly-go-lightly tulip tip-toers (say that 10 times fast!) We are much bigger fans now of the mutant variety. Red and yellow within the same blossom. Toby was particularly excited by this and insisted on having his photo taken with each one he found.


This was the first outing to the tulips for the whole Porch family, including newest and smallest Porch, Phinneas (who, as Katie says, likes to dance with the Minnie-as, drinks milk not Guinn-eas, and, if you're foolish enough to laugh at him, he'll kick you in the shin-eas). Finn (for short) was not as into the tulips as the rest of us. Every time he was unstrapped from his comfy harness he fussed, kicked and whined. Leave him in peace with his pilot cap.

Lots of photos to be found over at Picasa. There will likely be more next week as it sounds like we're tippy-toeing through said tulips one more time next weekend.