Finally...I got to see the Orange Show!

"The Orange Show!"

Ever since we moved to Houston I've been seeing and reading about The Orange Show.

I'd say to Bernie "Hey, let's go down and see The Orange Show this weekend," and he'd say "huh?"
I'd would then once again explain that it is a famous tribute to oranges, or maybe it was a tribute to the color orange, I wasn't really clear on what it was all about, but that even our daughter Laura had seen it listed on a map at an airport somewhere.
It was WELL KNOWN!
We should go see it!

Not a very compelling argument, I admit.

Since Bernie's mom was visiting us, Bernie suggested we go see a nursery he had been reading about. I countered with the idea that we could *also* go see The Orange Show.

I even looked up the address.

Good old Bernie gave in. He punched the address into the new phone's GPS system and away we went.

It meant a trip past down town, and then into a somewhat questionable neighborhood where GPS isn't even available. But before long...we were there.

Pretty cool, huh?

And it would only cost a buck per person to get in!

So in we went...through the front gate....

And we began to look around. I wore an orange hat that I had never worn before because it always looked just strange on me.

Oh, what a joy to discover I had chosen wisely when I chose to wear it for this occasion!

What exactly IS the orange show you might ask?
Answer is: I really have no idea.

Barbara and I enjoy the seating area and view of the river paddle boat, below.

Oops, I got ahead of myself. Above is a picture of the entryway to the show, where we were given a "tour" (history) of the show. Barbara is reading some of the signs.

This was the first sign.Really, I actually still do not have any idea about what the show is all about.

The facts behind the show are that a man name Jeff McKissack who was born in 1902 and spent the Great Depression in Florida thought oranges were very important. He got a college degree, wanted to work with Thomas Edison, (who declined the opportunity) served in the military for six months, went to Columbia University, went to beauty college, had a worm farm and worked as a postal carrier, AND had a vision for The Greatest Show Ever...The Orange Show!

Using materials he found as he worked as a postal carrier, he created this... show...on the land across the street from his house where he had the worm farm originally.

He never married, but loved to dance, felt that eating three oranges a day would cause you to live to be 115 years old. He died in 1980...at 78 after suffering from a heart attack right there next to the boat. Oh, and in case you were wondering...no, he did not do drugs.

For some reason he seemed to like frogs too...


A picture of Jeff McKissack.

You can read more about The Orange Show here, and come along for a few moments via Bernie's video here.
Feel free to sing along with Bernie if you want.

And if you ever come visit us here in Houston...well, I don't know. I guess we could go there again.

It is a really cool place to take pictures.

(Didn't get you fill of The Orange Show with just this post? Check out Bernie and my photos on a slide show here. Now at least I understand why photography classes head there so often.)

That's all for now...hope you have a wonderful and orangy kind of day, wherever you are!