When I posted on the Yangmingshan Calla Lily Festival last month, I deliberately broke my photos up into two sets. I like all these photos equally, but sometimes when I display them all in a row, some don’t stand out right away. I like to offer these little mini photo essays because it gives me a chance to surprise my readers. Just when you thought it was all over for another year!

Bare feet and hot sun. This little guy had the right idea for picking calla lilies on a hot, sunny afternoon.

I think this gentleman was by far the most elegant flower picker I’ve ever seen. He seemed so completely lost in the moment. He was still wandering bare-foot through the mud with a bundle in his hands when we left.

They didn’t get their feet wet, but they still proudly hooked a water-logged lily to take home as a reward.