Everything's Coming up Roses

Once I was on a university trip to visit archaeological sites near Tucson, AZ. We were following our professors to an archaeological site out in the desert. On the way, we walked past several piles of relatively modern refuse (broken china, old bottles, rusted cans, etc.) One of my classmates bent down and picked up a piece of a porcelain plate. After taking a closer look, she held it out to me. I took it, turned it over, and to my surprise the mark on the bottom said "Tudor Rose." This was a strange coincidence because at that time I used an email address with "Tudor Rose" in it. (I have always liked the symbol for its symmetry and simplicity.) Oddly enough, the dormitory I lived in on campus had Tudor roses on either side of the entrance. This is not exactly a common motif in Tucson architecture. I didn't know about the roses when I chose to live in the hall, but I took it as a good "sign" the day I moved in.