“Bob,” many of you ask me, “are the flowers in San Miguel really that beautiful? And are there really that many?”

I try to manage expectations.

“Yes,” I say. “There are that many flowers. And, yes, they are that beautiful.”

And then I add, while leaning in with total eye contact: “But not all of them are real.“

Shocking, I know.

In a town so drenched in floral beauty, why would someone want to install fabulous bouquets of silken imitation flowers?

Well, I’ll tell you why.

I … I … I honestly don’t know, except — damn — they can look awfully good.

Take these two displays on Aldama — the street deemed the most beautiful in San Miguel by a dozen very lazy social media influencers who spent 10 minutes here and three local realtors.

They do look really good.

Notice the dew drops on the purple roses. I forgot to check if the drops were real or fake.

They looked real.

The flowers looked real, too.

OK. I’ve got nothing to add.

Just that early in the morning, as the sun is rising, these displays on Aldama are gorgeous to look at.

Sniff them if you like. You’ll get nothing.

Sniff at them, if you are some sort of floral pedant.

Just don’t be a jerk. OK?