One of the casualties of pruning at the house in Santa Rosa was an elegant but overgrown and intrusive bird of paradise. My mother planted it years ago and it had grown to at least six feet tall and its rootball was wedged against the foundation of the house. It had to go. This sublime specimen is now in its own paradise. It was in full bloom so my brother cut the flowers and I brought them back home to enjoy for a while. I took this shot of one of the stems as the early morning sun backlit the petals.
Stunning!!!! It must be bittersweet going through your mom’s things. I hope you take some photos inside too I always loved that house!