SMELL THE ROSES!

One of the many fun activities for the Rose Festival Week in Portland, Oregon, is the opportunity at the big Rose Showcase to vote on which flower you think SMELLS the best! You go up and down rows of numbered, lovely roses in bud vases, putting your nose close to each bloom, inhaling the fragrance, and then casting your vote for best aroma, by dropping its number in the ballot box provided. Although many folks may have attended big flower shows in the past, everyone in my group gave a "thumbs up" to the distinction Portland Rose Festival had last year as being "Best Festival of the Year!"