Flowers, Part 2

I told you I'd find a way to finish off my flower adventure, even if I had to wait a few days!  Sunday was reasonable weather and the last day of the Orchid Show that I had been wanting to see, so I gathered my clan (with a bribe of a trip to the aquarium) and Liz's clan (they're fun to do stuff with and the girls seem to keep each other entertained - and by that I mean the set of little girls and the set of big girls!) and headed up island to the Tropical Dream Center.  Great name, isn't it?

Although we've been to the aquarium numerous times, we've never been to any of the other parts that make up this tourist destination on the Motubu penninsula.  The Tropical Dream Center is open all year, but for these two weeks it is home to the Okinawa International Orchid Show. 

Going down the steps toward the Orchid show there were all kinds of flower topiaries...

Now I'm not an orchid cultivator, in fact the one I own is lucky to be alive and pleases me by blooming once a year, but I do think they are a pretty flower.  But I had no idea how many varieties and colors they could come in and how interesting their shapes can be.

All of us set off through the exhibit with the idea of seeing the flowers and then heading over to the aquarium, but after two rooms the guys and kids had had enough of waiting for Liz and I to gawk and take pictures.  Liz is my kindred spirit for photography and has taught me a tremendous amount and I was very glad to have her guidance for this experience.  Stevie, Don and the kids were not so glad.  But as Liz said, "You can't take photographers to a flower show and not expect them to take pictures!"  So the guys and kids abandoned us and headed over to see the fish leaving us to ogle at the orchids...

This was a lei.

The colors!

The shapes!

The beauty.

Even the greenery was beautiful.

Doesn't this look like a laughin face?

These reminded me of birds.

And as always, the funny sign.  I wondered if before following this path we were on the "unusual" route?