This weekend was the biennial Flower Show at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Since this year is the 50th anniversary of the garden, the theme of the flower show was Heirlooms, and the show featured exceptional creations.  We had been to the show in 2024, so it was fun to go again and see the new creations on exhibit.

The show was divided into four primary types of art – Floral Design, Horticulture, Photography and Botanical Arts. Within each of these divisions were judged competitions, and the awards for First Place, Second Place, and Honorable Mention were displayed next to the entries.

The Floral Design division was probably the most interesting one. Each entry used flowers to create a work of art. The division was divided into six categories – Vintage Illustrations, Chapeaux de l’Epoque, Portraitures, Art on the Grounds, Keepsake China, and Time-Honored Anniversary Gifts.

The Chapeaux de l’Epoque category featured hat styles from different decades.

The Portraitures category featured bouquets that were inspired by portraits of women who made important contributions to the botanical garden over the years. Dorothy Chapman Fuqua and her husband donated the money to build the greenhouse conservatory on the property and provided the foundation for the garden’s orchid center.

Margaret Sheffield Martin was an influential member of the garden’s Board of Directors in the 1980s.

The Art on the Grounds category showcased floral pieces inspired by art objects located around the garden.

The category of Keepsake China showed designs interpreting china or pottery. Each of the entries was displayed in a box.

In the category of Time-Honored Anniversary Gifts, this one represented Silver:

The Horticulture division showcased plants that had been cultivated by home gardeners, and they were divided into two categories – Cut Specimens and Container-Grown Plants. Each subcategory was further divided into a series of classes such as annuals and biennials, perennials, flowering containers, foliage containers. There were a total of 41 classes across the two categories.

Some of the cut flower entries:

One subcategory was Cut Collection in an Heirloom Container:

There was a category called Collection of Three Flowering Geophytes:

The entries weren’t limited to flowers.

The Photography division had some interesting photographs on display. Flowers weren’t required to be included in every entry; it depended on the category in which the photo was entered – Estate Sale, Heirloom Stories, Beauty Never Fades, Whispers of the Past, A Moment in Time, Tools of the Trade, Jubilee, and Moving Forward by Reinterpreting the Past.

Each entry in the Estate Sale category was a composed still life, plant material not required but suggested.

Heirloom Stories featured close-up photographs of heirloom plants.

Whispers of the Past show images of a single bloom in an antique vessel.

A Moment in Time included images of a statue or monument from years past.

Tools of the Trade – photos of garden tools.

Jubilee depicted images of celebration.

Moving Forward by Reinterpreting the Past was very interesting. Each photographer had to take a photo of a bird and then use post-editing techniques to mimic an Audubon print.

The final division was Botanical Arts. In this group, artists created objects with dried flowers, leaves, and seeds in the categories of A Lady’s Ring, A Gentleman’s Pocket Watch, A Child’s Keepsake Box, A Christening Bonnet, A Jack in the Box, and A Cherished Heirloom Seed. I didn’t get any photos of these entries because, quite frankly, I didn’t find them very compelling.

As you can see, with the exception of the Horticulture division, each division had themes of the past, memories, time. The show and its exhibits were a great way to pay tribute to the 50-year history of the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Today is John Lewis’ birthday. He was born in Pike County, Alabama on February 21, 1940. When he was growing up, his mom told him to stay out of trouble. He took that to heart, and throughout his life, he only got into what he called “good trouble.”

Mr. Lewis was a civil rights activist and one of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. He started his activist career while he was a college student in Nashville. His first arrest (of nearly 50 during his life) was at the Woolworths where he and other black students were peacefully waiting to be served at the lunch counter on the mezzanine. During a trip to Nashville in 2018, I visited the old Woolworths. It is now a large restaurant, and I had lunch at the ground-floor lunch counter. I sat right there on the fourth stool and had sweet potato soup.

Mr. Lewis later became close friends with Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1963, He joined Rev. Dr. King for the March on Washington where King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. A 23-year-old John Lewis also delivered a speech to the crowd of 200,000.

In 1965, he was one of the participants in a march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama to protest racial discrimination in voting. At the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the marchers were met with violence by local law enforcement. The police beat Mr. Lewis so badly that they cracked his skull.

In 1961, he became one of the original thirteen Freedom Riders. The group of blacks and whites planned to ride interstate buses from Washington, DC to New Orleans and to challenge laws in the South which mandated segregated seating on buses. In the South, the group was beaten by angry mobs and arrested.

Later, Mr. Lewis formally entered the political world. He was the US Representative for Georgia’s 5th District from 1987 until his death in 2020. Among his other accomplishments, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

My neighborhood is in the 5th district, so he was my congressman. During the Inman Park Festival each spring, he would ride in the parade, and his car would be staged next to my house before the event. It was fun to watch people walk up to him and shake his hand as he waited for the parade to start. For all of his fame and accomplishments, he was very down to earth. He was absolutely adored around here. 

Mr. Lewis died July 17, 2020, just four months into the pandemic. He didn’t get to see us emerge on the other side of that terrible time. He didn’t get to see Joe Biden get elected as US president in November 2020. 

When he died, the neighbors put ribbons all over the neighborhood. Some of them were up for months.

As I reflect back on John Lewis’ story, I recognize that he was a humble man who led a remarkable life. And, up until the end, he was getting into good trouble.

Today is the 20^th anniversary of our first date. I thought about writing about the lead-up to the date, how he asked me out, how we decided what to do during our date. In the end, I decided that there are some memories that are nice to keep just for ourselves.

I’ll keep it brief and say that we met on a Saturday afternoon at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. I still remember what I was wearing and how excited I was when I saw him walking towards me in a red, orange, and green striped sweater. He still has that sweater. We spent the afternoon at the de Young Museum, wandering around and getting to know each other. We went for sushi for dinner and then talked late into the night.

Our second date was the following Tuesday, and our third date was two days later on Thursday.

That Saturday, he invited me over to his apartment to cook me dinner. He asked if I liked ravioli, and I thought he was going to open a package of refrigerated pasta from the grocery store. Instead, he scooped some flour onto the kitchen counter, cracked an egg into it, and started mixing. My knees literally got weak and I leaned against the wall and thought, “That is so hot!”

Dinner was delicious, and we spent another fun evening together. Later I thought, “I could get used to this…”

Eight months later, we got engaged.

Today marks the 20-year anniversary of the day that Chad and I first met.

We were introduced by Brian, a mutual friend. Chad had gone to architecture school with Brian in Florida, and then I sat across from Brian when I worked at Chong Partners Architecture in San Francisco. When Chad moved to San Francisco, he initially stayed with Brian and Brian’s wife, Stella, before finding an apartment, and Brian spent the next year and a half telling me, “I should introduce you to Chad. He’s single, and he’s a good cook!” Chad was invited to some happy hour events during that time, but we were never able to connect.

Fast forward to January 2006. My friend Janna, who also worked with me, pulled Brian aside and said, “We need to finally introduce Chad and Juli.” They organized a Chong happy hour on a Friday, and Brian invited Chad to attend. Before the event, Janna told me, “I think I’ve met Chad before, and I’m pretty sure he’s short and blond.” I’m tall for a woman, but I figured, what the heck, I’ll at least meet the guy.

We had around 15 or 20 Chong employees come to the happy hour. I thought only Brian and Janna knew that this was a set-up to make introductions, but it turns out that EVERYONE was in on it. We were all seated around this huge community table at a local restaurant. Chad arrived late, and when he walked in, I noticed that 1) he was not short and 2) he was not blond. I thought he was very cute! Raul was sitting next to me at the time, and he excused himself to go to the restroom and told Chad to take his seat. Honestly, I don’t think Raul even needed to go to the restroom, he just wanted Chad to sit next to me.

Of course, Chad and I hit it off right away. We had our first date a couple of weeks later, and we got engaged in October of that year with a wedding the following June.

We’re celebrating our 20 years of knowing each other with dinner at home. Honestly, Chad’s cooking is far superior to most restaurants, so I’m perfectly happy with tonight’s menu of chicken cutlets, roasted baby potatoes, and arugula salad.

Stay tuned for a post on February 4th, the anniversary of our first date.

Today is the U.S. federal holiday in observance of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday. King was born January 15, 1929. He was a civil rights activist and a Baptist minister, and he was a leader of the civil rights movement until his assassination on April 4, 1968. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination, which primarily affected African Americans.

Atlanta has been a key player in the struggle for civil rights in the U.S. Following the civil war and emancipation, newly freed, former slaves flocked to Atlanta to establish themselves as free workers and business owners. Downtown Atlanta and adjacent Auburn Avenue became centers of entrepreneurial success, and Auburn Avenue became the richest black business district in the United States.

Of course, there was a lot of resistance from white people, particularly less educated and poorer white men, who viewed the success of black Americans as a barrier to their own success. This led to a series of laws designed to limit the rights of black Americans and keep them in virtual servitude, even though they were legally free.

There’s a lot of history tied up in Atlanta that is related to race. Segregation, education or lack thereof, the 1906 race riots, the manner of urban development and politics which kept black and white citizens in separate neighborhoods. I’ll make a post about that sometime, because it’s really quite fascinating.

But for today, I want to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. He was the voice of decency and an advocate for change in a divided nation. We know him for his “I have a dream” speech. We know him because he died young in 1968. But it’s so interesting to me that he is still revered in this country. He wasn’t a president. He wasn’t even a politician. But his principles of nonviolence and civic action continue to influence people today, particularly in the demonstrations during this current administration. I just learned that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and he accepted it “with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind” and saying that “what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up.” This resonates particularly strongly today.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Preservation District is just a 10-minute walk from my house, and I walk through this neighborhood on my way home from work which feels like a monumental privilege as an American. It is the only national park located in an urban area, and it is right in the middle of Atlanta. The district includes the house where he was born, Ebenezer Baptist Church where he and his daddy and his granddad preached, and the Center for Nonviolent Social Change Inc which was created by Coretta Scott King after her husband’s death.

I’ll make another post in the future with more details about this district. But for today, here are some photos in honor of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and legacy as an American figure.

Chad and I got married in June 2007. Over the next few months, we started saving money for a down payment for a house, and we started to look at real estate. We were living in Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco, and we quickly realized that most real estate was out of range for us. At the time, we were looking at paying $500,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, or we could pay the same amount for a fixer-upper in a run-down neighborhood in Oakland.

We quickly decided that it was time to move out of the Bay Area, and we tentatively decided on Atlanta. Chad had lived in Atlanta for 9 years before moving to San Francisco in 2004, but I had never been there. 

In July 2008, a year after our wedding, my Abbott family reunion was held in North Georgia and Tennessee. Chad and I took advantage of that reunion to fly to Georgia early and spend a week in Atlanta so I could get to see the city. Honestly, I had moved around enough since the age of 17 that I knew I could settle in and feel at home anywhere, but it was nice to get a preview of Atlanta before making the commitment to move. And so the decision was made.

One day that fall, Chad and I were walking to the BART train to go to work, and he said, “I’ve been thinking. Since we’re going to quit our jobs, pack up our things and move across the country, what if we take part of our down payment money and travel in Europe for a while? Is that a crazy idea?” I paused for about a nanosecond and said, “That’s an excellent idea!”

We left the Bay area in mid-March 2009, and we spent the next seven months traveling throughout Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. During that sabbatical, I kept a travel blog where I chronicled our journey, and my love of blogging was born. It was a great way to bring family and friends along on our adventures, and it became a journal and photo album that I have re-read over the years.

Since then, I have continued the travel blog for other international trips to France and Italy and, most recently, Antarctica and Buenos Aires. We’ve taken trips to other places during the last several years, but I’ve learned that it’s difficult to keep up with a blog if a trip is only one, two or three weeks, because there’s not a lot of “down” time. Some of those other trips that we’ve taken together but not posted on the blog include Jamaica, Panama (twice), Italy in 2018, and Madrid. I’ve also traveled for work without Chad to Bangalore India, Johannesburg South Africa, Sardinia Italy, and Grand Cayman, and he’s traveled to Bogota Colombia a few times without me. In hindsight, I wish I had documented all of those trips on the blog, but those experiences are on Facebook instead. Maybe some day I’ll pull together the info for those adventures and put it all on the blog.

After our sabbatical in Europe, we arrived in Atlanta in October 2009, so we’ve now been here 16 years. I’ve realized that I haven’t chronicled any domestic experiences on the blog, so 2026 will be focused on My Atlanta. I’m going to treat it as if we are visitors in our own city and make blog posts with fresh eyes. 

Some day, we will retire and move to Italy, and I want to create a journal and photo album so I can look back on our life here. I’ve also realized that, when I write a blog post, I slow down and really think about what I’m seeing and experiencing, and I take the time to process the experience in a different way. I want to do this for Atlanta.

I want to chronicle my experiences throughout the year, from the simple things like my commute to work which passes through historic neighborhoods to special events like local festivals and the World Cup. I want to document the places that are meaningful to me such as our beautiful Inman Park neighborhood, the Atlanta Beltline, and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I’m sure we’ll have many amazing meals, and there will be photos of food, of course. 

Ultimately, I am blessed in life and am extremely happy in Atlanta. It’s been a great home for 16 years, and I want to get it all on paper, so to speak. I’m very much looking forward to this project throughout the year. Stay tuned for more blog posts, and I hope you enjoy the ride.

Buenos Aires has been exactly as I expected and the opposite of what I expected. It definitely feels like Latin America, but it also feels like Europe. The architecture, the design of the avenues and streets, and the urban planning with the grand parks and gardens, this all feels like Europe. But then there are the tropical plants and certain little shops, small streets, and details that totally feel like Latin America. It’s definitely its own unique city. Here are some photos from the morning’s walk in the botanical garden.

Argentina has a long history of immigration, and it is a true melting pot. There is a strong ancestry from Spain, of course, but there is also immigration history of Italians, Germans, Jews, Japanese, and Chinese, and this is reflected in the food. The Italian influence has certainly been significant with Italian food such as pasta, pizza, and gelato being part of the regular diet. Even the typical Argentine dish of Milanesa (veal cutlet or chicken cutlet) is named after Milan.

And while Buenos Aires is its own unique city with its own culture and personality, there are some cultural phenomena which transcend political boundaries and unite us around the globe:

One week in Buenos Aires has been just enough to give us a taste of the city. In order to really see the city, I think we would need to be here for a month or two. Chad and I have a list of cities where we want to spend a month. We’ve already done this in Barcelona, Paris, and Lisbon. Rome, Milan, Madrid, and maybe Bogota are on the list for the future. Now we’ll be adding Buenos Aires to that list. Until next time!

There are some random thoughts that have been rolling around in my head this week.

Language:

I keep speaking Italian when I mean to speak Spanish. I guess it’s good that Italian is starting to roll off my tongue after studying it for so long, but it’s confusing for the Argentine taxi driver or the waiter who’s expecting to hear Spanish.

A lot of people in Argentina, particularly the younger generation, speak English, so it’s easy to get around.

I also see some signage in Portuguese, and I’ve heard it every once in a while because Brazil is next door. It’s fun to hear the language since it’s part of my history, it’s like a familiar poem.

Money and Prices:

Argentina has been plagued with inflation. A year ago, it cost 1,000 pesos to buy one US dollar. Today, it costs 1,450 pesos. As a result, I thought a strong dollar would mean that prices would seem cheap here. But they generally are not. A box of DeCecco pasta costs $8, but in Atlanta it’s $3. Restaurant prices are generally the same as the US. Exceptions are wine, coffee, and pastries. And eggs are cheap for some reason.

Like other non-US countries, the money is beautiful. Due to the inflation, coins are no longer in use, only bills.

Traffic:

A note on traffic. Most streets and avenues in the city are one-way, even the wide avenues with multiple lanes. And when the small neighborhood streets come to an intersection, there usually are no stop signs. Drivers just figure it out. It’s kind of brilliant. And there’s no constant honking of car horns. It all seems very civilized.

Restaurants:

Most of the restaurants have sidewalk seating which makes sense since the weather is pretty nice year-round. Many have expanded into the street, taking over parking space with covered seating areas.

Architecture:

Most apartment buildings, at least in our neighborhood, have an in-person security guard or a virtual guard on a video screen. In our building, we have an in-person guy during regular work hours and then a rotation of virtual staff on nights and weekends. It’s an interesting concept.

I had heard that Buenos Aires was the “Paris of South America” so I expected to see more 19th century buildings. But I think most of the older buildings have been replaced with more modern buildings. It’s still common to see older ornate buildings, but they are usually sandwiched between newer buildings.

And here are some examples of the 19th century buildings that we’ve seen:

And some architectural details:

And an evening view:

Today is another really hot day, so we’ve been taking it easy with some leisurely walks on tree-lined streets. We’ve joked about how we can’t imagine that we’ll return to Atlanta and complain about the cold winter weather.

During our walk this morning, we saw this which made me laugh, given that it’s so hot out and that last week we were literally with penguins in Antarctica.

We found a little pocket park called Patio de Marruecos. (I think this means Moroccan Patio.) It was a small plaza on the corner of a block. It was a cute, private oasis in the middle of the neighborhood.

Since we didn’t feel like doing touristy things today, we decided to go all-out for lunch. We spent almost three hours at El Preferido.

We’ve walked by the place a few times over this last week, and there is always a crowd of people waiting for a table. Our guidebook says “Reservations are a must.” We figured out a way around that by showing up for lunch at 11:45, and we were immediately seated at a table outside.

The food was incredible with typical Argentine cuisine and some innovative twists. It was a pricey meal, but it was totally worth it. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Of course, after all of that food, lunch was followed by some quiet time in our apartment with the air conditioning.

This evening we took another long walk, about an hour and a half. This really is a great neighborhood with lots to see and do. I would stay here again.

This is our last night in Buenos Aires. We do have almost a full day here tomorrow, so there might be another quick blog update in the afternoon, and then we head to the airport to fly back to Atlanta. Until then:

Buenos Aires has a lot of murals painted around the city. Some are big, some are small, and some are better than others, but they always brighten up the view as we walk around. There are several entities that give walking tours of the street art, but we just walked around on our own. We found some murals listed in the guidebook, but most were paintings that we stumbled upon during our daily walks.

And then we saw these sculptures at the main entrance of an apartment building:

It’s been fun exploring the various neighborhoods, because you never know what you’re going to see!