This past weekend was the annual Daffodil Show in Julian. (Last year I gushingly detailed all of the reasons I love this community event here.)
After a brief chat on Friday about how to choose a prizewinning bloom, the students spread out to harvest.
What to choose?
Then after school I took my boys home to pick their personal entries.
Ethan almost backed out this year but decided to enter again after listening to his mother go on and on about the importance of tradition. (A fistful of ribbons, including a “court of honor” distinction later, he was glad he followed through, and I made him promise to do it every year until he graduates high school. We’ll see. Elliot’s in, for sure.)
A friend visiting from out-of-town jumped right in on the excitement, watching the boys key out and arrange their flowers. (The paper flowers hanging from the ceiling and the watercolor paintings on the wall were all done by kids at school.)
The youth division took up one full wall with a record amount of entries.
Photo courtesy of Anne Garcia
Marisa’s beautiful display with children’s essays. The photos are of kids planting at school and around town—a yearly tradition led by Sally Snipes.
Photo courtesy of Anne Garcia
The ribbons and some of the flowers are now proudly on display in the front office of the school.
My friend Anne summed it up well in a post-show e-mail:
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What's not to like? 
Loved the daffodil show and very impressed with all the entries in the youth categories this year.
Beautiful entries from Salton Vista and Lakeview. Great job Ethan and Elliot. Love my boys, Nana
I’m so glad you got to see in in person. Having the rare distiction of having a small child throw up at the grill afterward, not so glad. Thanks for letting us have a night out!
T,
The Daffodil experience/memory will last a lifetime. dad
I think you’re right. After being laid in the daffodils just days after he was born, I hope the daffodil is always a part of Ethan’s sweet memories of childhood (and Elliot’s too!)
I did finally make it to the show after church on Sunday. I think it was the best one yet and truly the display from the youth was phenomenal. Your pictures of the children in action made it even more real and great. Thank you, thank you.
Dawn King
I have witnessed the surge in Julian children’s interest, even since Ethan started participating a few years ago. I love that this simple, fresh, sweet tradition becomes part of their story. Thanks for sharing in the beauty of it all.
Man! So beautiful!! The daffodils . . . Ethan and Elliot . . . I wish I was there!!
Heaven, my friend. So much loveliness squeezed in one room. You would have been pointing and squealing and writing poetry (in your mind.)