I stumbled into a marvelous flower show at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. It was the “Early Iris Flower Show,” organized by Albuquerque’s Aril and Iris Society. It was a show of fantastic blooms that open early (April) as opposed to May – June. There were 63 different specimens on display. Judges had just completed the ribbon awards by the time I ventured in.

Susan approached me while I was admiring several blooms on one of the tables. She invited me to admire all the flowers, and then vote on my favorite. One of the entries would be receiving a ribbon for the “People’s Choice;” a popularity contest based on the taste of the exhibit visitors who were not participating in the competition.

I let her know of my 100 Strangers photo project and she was overjoyed to have me capture her with her blue ribbon winning Iris.

What a pleasure to make her acquaintance, and meet a passionate flower grower. When she replied to my email that sent the photo she said, “Thank you so much for doing this. It was a nice moment to relish.”