Twenty-six years ago, after seeing a spectacular Satsuki Azalea show, I joined my first bonsai club in Los Angeles. Because most of its members were older Japanese men, the meetings were conducted in Japanese. Although I didn't understand a word, I was thrilled to be in the company of so many knowledgeable bonsai artists. Several befriended me and translated important information. However, for casual conversation, I became fast friends with another "English only" speaker in the club: Mort Lowy. I wassaddened by Mort's passing late last year. When his family held a sale of his bonsai material, I looked for an azalea to remember him by, and found a charming little Megurai which had already bloomed - but the day after I got it home, one last bloom appeared as if to say "Hi, I'm here." (Figure 1).
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