It's Dahlia time

It is Dahlia time. Dahlias might be my absolute favorite flower ever. They are so perfect looking, actually fake looking. Each one is more stunning than the next, always a surprise, always joyous. Everytime a bud opens I get giddy, it's like unwrapping a gift.
A few were lost in last years drought and this past winter's awful cold and wet. A couple of new acquisitions have been made, but no blooms on those yet. Fresh tubers in the ground usually bloom later than the established ones. My all time favorite, the Nenekazi, was lost.