Triggered memory ... of my “plantsman” dad...

Triggered memory ... of my “plantsman” dad...  Some of my favorite memories from the many trips I took with my dad are of our conversations.  These conversations mostly happened in two settings: while driving (and we drove a lot, as some of our destinations were 1,500 miles from our home) and while resting in some beautiful spot on one of our hikes.

During one of those “while driving” conversations, while on the way to Santa Rosa, California, we talked about Luther Burbank.   My dad and I were traveling to Santa Rosa as a sort of pilgrimage for my dad, to Burbank's old estate (now a gardens and museum).  Burbank was one of my dad's botanical heroes, for lots of reasons.  He died when my dad was but a little boy, but his dad visited Burbank on his epic travels to California in the early 1900s.  My grandfather Earle Dilatush brought back stories and memories of that visit, and shared them with my dad.  When I was a small boy, my dad kept a set of books detailing Burbank's work by his desk.  All I can remember about those tomes is that they were thick (and heavy!), filled with photos and a few color plates, and all the text was completely beyond my comprehension.

So what triggered the memories that led to this post?  Reading this article, link forwarded by a friend.  My dad and I saw all of the plants referenced in that article on our visit that day, sometime in the mid-'90s.

Once again I'm reminded just how much I cherish those trips with my dad, and how thankful I am that Debbie and I found the money and time to make some good memories with our parents...