I don'tknow how many pics I'll post (because posting to this forum is like having a part time job most of the time) but will put all of them in an album on my Facebook in the near future.

I just returned from a trip to the Plekiu-An Khe (central

highlands area) found not a lot of good Bonsai there however, the trip back (on a road I've never been on before) took a lot longer than expected.

The picture below is just one of the reasons I rode for 2 days and only covered 280 km, some very nice (but alas neglected) Bonsai.

{{gwi:22674}}

Mr. Dinh is a teacher, about my age and has inherited/bought and grown these trees for most of his adult life. He has ficus, boxwood, saxafolia, C. privit and some others...all large to 'oh-my-god' size. In Bonsai age is relative only to the appearance of the tree however, he offered that he thinks this tree is about 100 years old. His one uncle started the planting and styling, it was given to his father then passed down to him.

What I talked to him about...and...want to do in the future, is go for an extended visit. There is a small guest house about 10 km away. Pack up my tools and go for a short working vacation. Everything needs work and I'd love nothing better than to spend a few weeks working these trees back to shape. Oh...there are about 20 of these ficus ROR plantings, all about the same size and in need of as much or more work.

This is one of those times I really wish my Vn vocabulary was a hell of a lot better!!!

Bob