Did I Make a Wrong Turn...?

I'm back after a week off - a brief vacation of sorts to regroup and take a break from writing. I'm now back and ready to share with everyone what a street vendor was recently touting as the "bargain of the day": Bonsai trees. In some areas this is not an unusual site but the neighborhood I was driving through when I snapped this picture does not see bonsai trees on a regular basis. What was even more interesting - and helped catch my attention - was the fact that the wrack of trees was set-up in the parking lot of a gas station! Is it me or is anyone else surprised to see bonsai trees for sale next to the air pump and diesel tank?

I have to admit my first thought upon driving by the large display was The Karate Kid! Maybe not what you would expect, but I would suspect anyone who was under the age of 18 at any point during the '80s would think of Daniel Larusso when coming across one of these miniature trees. For most children that movie was their first encounter with these foreign trees. As I stood in front of this potted wonder (how often do they really have to be trimmed and how do they survive with so many of the roots sticking out of the dirt?) I was tempted to make an impulse buy. I was once again a child, looking through the excitement generated by my favorite movie, wanting to bring home this curious, foot-tall tree.

I was also amused by the abundance of American flags attached to the shelves...not to sound un-patriotic but I was really surprised. There are a number of displays and pieces of art that I would associate with bonsai trees but the American flag is not one of them. Usually, I just assume some type of Oriental art would be displayed with these, predominantly, Oriental trees. Perhaps this is the "Americanization of Bonsai trees". To some people that makes it a more appealing purchase while for others the tiny shrubbery may seem less exotic, thereby less appealing. I'm sure everyone knows someone who won't do or buy something once it is part of the "mainstream".

I should probably mention I did not buy a bonsai tree. After looking at the many choices I decided my money would probably be better spent elsewhere. Even though I arrived home empty-handed, I still gained amusement from discovering the "gas station bonsai stand" and reminiscing of "wax on, wax off".

That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?