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The sun is shining, the birds are singing each morning and the tulips around us are getting anxious to show their color.    

Over the years, we have made visits to many flower gardens. Our most recent and favorite site to visit is Pella, Iowa, for the annual Tulip Festival.

Although our motorcoaches are not quite ready to travel yet, you might find this to be an easy road trip with friends and family. Dates this year are May 6-8.

  The festival features over 300,000 tulips in two large parks with easy walking or carriage rides. You are encouraged to join in the walking parade and wear your Dutch costume and Dutch shoes if you please. The stage events offer no charge seating to watch the street scrubbing and crowning of their 86th annual Tulip Queen.

The many venders will have Dutch items for sale including wooden shoes and their famous alphabet cookies. The highlight of the festival is seeing all the families dressed in Dutch attire. There are literally hundreds of children in matching outfits who all take part in the parade.

Pella is one destination that we will certainly keep on our list to visit again.

We are looking forward to the date when the Senior Center will once again be open for all our activities. The travel office is working on a tentative schedule and we will be ready when the time comes to reopen.

Short neighborhood walks may have you looking for some of the tulips before long. My outdoor cactus are not quite ready to wake up yet, but before too long, we should be seeing them along the south side of my home. I will be seeing you shortly.