Wild Rhododendron on a rainy day

This is another reason why I love this area: the forests are full of wild Rhododendrons.
They are all shades of pink and shine in the rain against the dark of the trees or, as in this case, the background of Woahink Lake.
Next to the wild ones the little town of Florence is full of bred varieties of Rhodies in all colors, white, bright red, yellow, orange and it is a very beautiful time. The ones in our yard started blooming in March, and now there are still white and red ones blooming. Next week Florence will have its highlight of the year: The Rhododendron Festival, with a parade, a show and shine Oldtimer "race", a Rhodi-Queen and lots of fun on the fairground.
It is so funny, this morning I had to think of the differences of life in a big city and a small city. Here, this is the big thing now, and everybody is busy with the preparations for the parade etc. In Hamburg or Paris, there are so many different events on a weekly base, that the single ones might not get as much attention as ours...So f.i. I learned that this week there is a Baker Festival in Paris, with lots of degustations, shows where you can learn how to make the famous baguettes and other pastries and other fun things.
Did you know? :-)

Thanks for all your kind comments, stars and hearts of the two "Flowers" yesterday. It was a great meeting indeed! Thanks also for all the feedback on the Flickr Pictures!