The coming of the spring season heralds magic and enchantment. From dreary winter, the world becomes dreamy again with all the blooms of spring.
In Tyler, Texas, the whole city is abuzz with its most popular festivity — the annual Azalea Flowers Spring Festival. This year, I attended the flower festival, which was from March 25 to April 10.
I was introduced to the Azalea Flowers Spring Festival by my long-time friend Edwin Vergel de Dios Santos, a sought-after physical therapist in Tyler. Our family and household in Makati delight with the warmest welcome upon his Manila homecoming every time Edwin jets in from his east Texas home. Better known to us as “Brother Ed,” he brings Texas-size joy by his mere presence. This year, before he could set out for the islands, I had the exceptional pleasure to visit him in Tyler for the most popular annual Azalea Flowers Spring Festival.
A magnificent stretch with over 10 miles of the most colorful array of azaleas, tulips, dogwoods and a host of lush flowers and greens cared and staged personally by homeowners line the antique red brick streets of the trail. Private homes open their driveways to welcome and entertain both trekking local tourists and travelers who arrive in buses, vans and cars from many cities, countries and beyond. These home gardens are manicured to perfection with impeccable landscaping, which depict an interplay of lights, shadows and captivating floral drama. Thank heavens for digital photography lest my supply of film will never suffice in such breathtaking moments of flower power and elegant beauty.
Façades with wrapped around balcony in country living fair, some in imposing columns of Victorian character, many with the blend of stone and brick and still others with shaded canopy, which beckons for a moment of leisure in their rocking chair or hammock. Each is representative of the kind and generous neighbors who toil to showcase the gift of nature in their property. Most homes have signs to please come in all the way to their private backyard where a symphony of beauty is expressed by azalea blooms. The magic of the spring season is manifested in this trail.
Since 1991, this has been home to Ed Santos, celebrating 25 years of successful physical therapy practice in east Texas. Well traveled and globally cultured, our family friend has persevered in his professional vocation while deeply indulging in God’s gifts of art in calligraphy and entrepreneurship. Consistent with his diplomatic demeanor, he has formed relationships with the who’s who of Tyler and East Texas region.
Among many good hearts, I met his JBC Computers business partners Buen and Jennifer Arago. I also had the chance to be with Reekie and Lan Santos of Trinity Mother Frances Health, Allan and Aida Idjao who gave us a tour of UT Tyler Campus and UT NorthEast Hospital, Tito and Carmen Fuñe of East Texas Medical Center, and Mary Helen Morris of the world-renowned Texas Spine and Joint Hospital.
Edwin’s friends Vince Jones and Belinda Dawson took me shopping in Dillards where it was hard to resist the quality and the sales.
There is no way for Ed and friends to mix and mingle without food, so let me tell you, everything in Texas is big! When best friends Walter and Julie McDermott and Don and Joanne Cruz Hogg invited us to their farm in the northeast county line of Tyler, yes, Tyler is much still rural with a 100, 000 population, we witnessed a breaking of bread like none other. There was a feast of organic farm fresh poultry, fruits, vegetables, fish and meats, which turned the table to a gastronomic fiesta in exponential form. Their garden was abundantly replete with corn, tomatoes, okra, onions, a row of fruit trees and even a carefully protected calamansi bush.
We will always be grateful to the generosity of many good east Texan friends Paul Beleno was most gracious and amazing Ryan Carmona who shuttles between San Franciso and Tyler on business. An inspiration to many, ER nurses Marvin Delfin and Jed Transfiguracion are trailblazing in their careers as migrant professionals who also have found a home in Tyler, Texas.
Ed’s middle brother Kevin is a full time RN and postgrad student. He moved to Tyler after seven years in Singapore and seven years in Sydney, Australia as computer programmer. Youngest brother is Neil, also a PT in Dallas (100 miles east of Tyler) and wife Tricia who is a doctor in Speech Language Pathology and homeschools their four smart and beautiful kids Michael, Marian, Therese and Catherine.
Tyler reminds me of Baguio in the heydays of Camp John Hay, in fact, I first met Ed and his family in Baguio City when my dearest best childhood friend Jovi Tañada Yam were visiting. Unlike the conventional image of Texas, Tyler is a.k.a. the Piney Woods region with tall evergreen pines towering remarkable lakes and prairies. It has some winding roads that go up and down and over so it isn’t flat like west Texas.
Tyler State Park is a class act for a destination year round. The dogwood trees in this enclave are amazing and camping here is a favorite getaway for many complete with recreation for canoeing, hiking, biking, bird watching and simply relaxing.
I was very impressed when I met the cohorts of Ed in the Tyler Sunrise Rotary International, they meet every Thursday at 6:30 a.m. in the prestigious Hollytree Country Club. They are also the host of the annual Taste of Tyler. Among the caliber of his fellow Rotarians are oil company CEO, insurance company presidents, commercial real estate brokers, pastor, bank executives, accountants and university dean. The members of the club are women and men from all over the globe who have two things in common: service above self and the evident ability to bloom where they are planted.
Let me mention Tylerite friends I was honored to meet, retired Smith County sheriff JB Smith, police chief Gary Swindle who was Ed’s classmate in Leadership Tyler Class XIV, Economic Development Council president Tom Mullins, Mayor Martin Heines and former Mayor Barbara Bass and Bishop of Tyler Joseph Strickland, who happens to be a native east Texan. All of them echo with Texas pride how Ed has truly made home in Tyler by being involved in community and building community with service. The downtown Main Street Gallery curator Beverly White Abell sings his praises for very actively promoting the Arts and reviving the downtown square life.
A couple of miles west of downtown is what Tyler may be most popularly known for, the Rose Garden. It happens to be the largest municipal Rose Garden in the United States and draws a massive tourism business in October. Ed shares that both the city parade and the Queen’s Tea are among his favorite free, fun events, thousands of local residents come out and enjoy the fall weather events. Last year’s parade featured many handsome horses, energizing school marching bands and fantastic cheering squads along with the Rose Queen and her court.
Azaleas are not the simplest flowers to grow and cultivate; it takes much work and much love. It involves teamwork for the garden hands. A seeming parallel to the life and times of our dear friend Ed Santos whose migration to Tyler, Texas has catapulted his personal growth to sweet maturity. He claims there is so much more to life every day and that being thankfully blessed is the beginning of grace.
As for me, my friend Ed has been both sunshine and water through our friendship, a nurturing spirit not only for ourselves and our beloved. He has exemplified how to graft and branch out so many more will bloom where they are planted.