This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I had the good fortune to visit London in Fall 2018 and there were three highlights of my trip. #1 was watching my team, the Seattle Seahawks handily beat he Oakland Raiders at Wembley Stadium. That was a fun game, Go Hawks! #2 was attending a live performance of Les Miserables at the Queens Theater. The music, the acting, the atmosphere…it was amazing. I loved every minute of it. #3, the best, was spending the day at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens.  I felt like I belonged there, walking through glass houses, oak woodlands and witnessing a combination of new and old. It was a glorious day.  As I walked through the Oak forest I thought it would be quite wonderful to bring home a small sampling of acorns. There is a great diversity of Oak trees at Kew, I enjoyed looking at leaf shape and size and comparing and contrasting the trees and acorns. When I arrived back to Seattle I had all but forgotten that I carried a cache of nuts in my suitcase. I had however purchased a seed packet from Kew, so I declared it at customs. Unfortunately my seeds and my acorns were seized at the border, averting disaster I’m sure in the botanical world of Duvall. I was okay complying with the rules of travel, but I did feel very sad to leave those wonderful acorns behind. I will never forget you! Someday I will germinate an oak tree from seed and watch it grow into a beautiful specimen like those at Kew Gardens.