Santo native letting Virginia neighbors see his Texas pride with bluebonnet
Jun. 5—PORTSMOUTH, Virginia — Santo son Nate Fink is proof you can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy.
The Portsmouth, Virginia, resident says his neighbors have asked him about the delicate, deep blue blossom he grew at the base of his mailbox.
It's a bluebonnet.
"And after explaining it to them, they all think the flower is beautiful," he wrote to the Weatherford Democrat. "I've shown it to my colleagues at work who have all said it was a beautiful flower."
The 2000 Santo High School graduate, who grew up in the Patillo community, landed in the state that says in its motto it's for lovers after meeting and marrying a native named Megan during an 11-year stint in the U.S. Navy.
He stayed, but last fall Gary and Merit Fink's son planted the state flower of his home state in a bed at the base of his mailbox.
"Most of all, my family and a bunch of friends back in Texas are in love with it," he said. "They have had me update them with pictures almost daily.
"It doesn't sound like much, but I am pretty sure it is the only one in this state, and we are pretty excited about it. It's nice to have a little piece of home in my front yard."
