Despite a lack of any relation to the Dutch, there is a farm named The Wooden Shoe Farm north of Salem that has just wrapped up the 25th annual Tulip Festival. I missed the opportunity to go, but I'm glad Cynthia went - with over 40 acres of flowers to behold, she must have been in heaven the entire time.
Tulips are my favorite flower, though I'm sure a lot of that has to do with my interest in the financial markets of tulip mania. Just like the recent housing bubble burst and the tech stock bubble burst of the 90's, speculation on certain types of tulip bulbs was so rampant in the Netherlands in the 1630's that people were paying 10 years worth of salary for a single bulb. The idea was to sell the bulb at a profit after a small period of time (just like house flipping in 2004-2007). But, like all financial bubbles, the prices were unsustainable and fell drastically in 1637. The most valuable tulips were diseased - a certain virus gave the tulip a beautiful streaky color but also made the bulbs hard to grow. (end of history lesson)
Sadly, none of the tulips at the Wooden Shoe Farms were like the rare 'diseased' bulbs of tulip mania, but still pretty nonetheless. Especially the thorn-like tulips above.
Wow! A cow train too? This place is awesome!
Beautiful! Although tulips are not my favorite flower, I do love to grow them. I learned that at Thanksgiving Point, they believe that tulips are their most brilliant the first year. So, after each Tulip Fest, they dig them all up and sell them, then replant. My neighbor got some for me and I'm waiting until we buy a house to plant those ones!!
ReplyDeleteI had a great time with Cynthia! The flowers were so beautiful! Isabelle had a blast hanging out with Jordan and Carter. They get along great!
ReplyDeletewow
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Wish I could have gone there with you!
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