Experience In Rochester by Gim and Anna Retsinas

New members, BEWARE! Not far from Toronto and only a 2.5-hour drive, is the annual bonsai symposium and sale in Rochester New York. During the summer, if you took advantage of the garden visits offered by established members of the Toronto Bonsai Society, you would have been made aware through general conversation that this show does exist and it is worth attending. My wife and I decided to see for ourselves. Being new members and not wanting to be overwhelmed by information overload, we decided that we would not attend the entire show and only see the exhibits and the sales portion. Enthusiastically, we searched the Internet for the location of the Airport Rochester Holiday Inn where the event was to be held. We located nearby accommodations, made reservations via the Internet, and set off for Rochester. Upon arrival, we spent a couple of hours talking to members as well as viewing all the sales exhibits and proceeded to the final exhibit room which was set up to display show trees. There were many varieties of trees in many different planting styles. There were even varieties that you would not consider as bonsai. The show also offered us a look at something that we only read about -- suiseki (viewing rocks). There were many examples of rock styles in finished presentation form that we were not aware of. It gave us a new perspective on how we look at rocks. The members who attended the lectures were very helpful in answering our questions and offering their time. The show also featured prominent bonsai artists (i.e. Walter Paul, Colin Lewis). However, the best was yet to come. The person responsible for putting the show together is bonsai artist William N. Valavanis. Mr. Valavanis also sells bonsai, pre bonsai, finished bonsai, and bonsai supplies, and offered a 25% discount after the show. Anyone interested drove to his home where you were allowed to roam the property and decide what to purchase. On many occasions on the Internet, we had seen large bonsai supply houses in various locations in the world with large areas of bonsai for sale but never dreamed that we would be standing in such a place. It was quite spectacular bordering on overwhelming. Mr. Valavanis also had an exquisite private collection of trees and offered incredible variety of bonsai material. We approached members for their opinion on species selection, and they were more than happy to offer their guidance. They also provided good advise on getting the material across the border. Overall, we experienced many new things, discovered that there is plenty to be learned, and many people willing to help -- all you need to do is ask. What an experience.