TRAVELING BACK IN TIME for our 38th wedding anniversary Feb. 22, we went to Cottonwood, Alabama to see the remains of Sealy's Hot Water Springs where we got married in 1972. On the trip back we took our time and the back roads through the old South. We passed again through COTTONDALE, FLORIDA and found a wonderful place called BONSAI BY DORI.

As an erstwhile bonsai enthusiast and grower, I had to stop. We pulled in and saw a large fenced yard lined with dozens of the nicest, most developed and artfully displayed bonsai trees I've seen anywhere. There was a lady watering them and I asked her if I could take a few pictures. She graciously said I could and I quickly got out my Canon and began shooting. Wow! I was overwhelmed. I just shot rapid fire snapshots of as many as I could before someone threw me out.

After a few minutes I looked up to see a guy who looked a lot like Santa Claus watching me. I shot a couple more then asked him if it was okay, if he minded. He smiled and said he didn't mind a bit. We shook hands and I was honored to meet Maxwell Hayes, Bonsai Master.

He was very accommodating and showed me around the place, a large nursery with workstations, potting sheds, a yard busy with plants in various stages of culture and even a small shooting room with lights and backdrop for shooting pictures of the plants.

We were pressed to be home before dark so we were unable to stay long enough to do a better job of photographing the bonsai or talking to the other people of Bonsai by Dori but we are determined to go back with a little more time and find out more about the place, the people and their farm.

Meantime if you are anywhere near the Florida Panhandle a trip to COTTONDALE, FLORIDA is worthwhile if only to visit