It all started in the

摘要

Michelle and I had been in Ann Arbor, Michigan to do a program for their bonsai club and had toured their new bonsai exhibit at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Over the years there had been a lot of talk about creating a public bonsai collection in Milwaukee, but not much had happened.As we drove home, we talked. I had recently sold some property that I had owned for years and was facing a very large tax bill. Could some of that money be used to get things started? I liked the idea of giving money to the local bonsai community ratherthan the government. But, although it wouldreduce our tax bill, and be for a good cause, it would still be money coming out of our pockets.