Tulip Lust, a Wholesome Kind of Fun

I wanted to be cool and not admit to being impressed, but when Tulip Lust comes over a girl, it's a force of nature. Today I joined the mostly seniors and parents with small children spending a weekday afternoon at the Wooden Shoe Bulb Co.'s Tulip Festival just outside Salem, OR. The company offers a huge field of mixed tulips, sells cut and potted flowers and gifts, and showcases some nice examples of old turn of the (last) century steam tractors. I hear rumors of live entertainment on the weekend, but today simply offers fresh air and room to walk around under a great big sky. I tiptoe through some mushy spots but ultimately do slide into a puddle and bring home muddy souvenirs up on the toes of my best sneakers. One smart man does wear boots. He tells me that he's a veteran of several prior trips to the Tulip Festival and has already done the obligatory shoe-ruining on a previous trip that was actually much mucker than today.

The day was overcast and I was glum about returning to work after a vacation, but stepping into a 40-acre field full of riotous crimson and yellow and pink tulips brought on a sort of euphoria. I looked around to see goofy smiles and people just wandering around among the rows. Perhaps it's the fact that Oregonians live most of our winter in dull, damp dreariness and see only muted colors much of the time. Maybe in this world of chaos and bad behavior it was the niceness of the event that caused the joy. Maybe I was just overcome by the smell of elephant ears and sausage on a stick. Whatever it was, I liked it, and I'm going back next year.