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The second weekend of the Extravaganza was a new feature this spring. Even though we did it last fall due to being rained out, this was the first time we advertised it as a scheduled event. We had no idea what to expect. We figured the crowd for the second weekend would consist of those who could not attend the first, and therefore be small. With all the work involved setting up for the first weekend, letting everything stay put for four extra days and then opening again is easy. We pulled what plants we could. Mostly duplicates of what we already had in larger quantities. We did not hold anything back for the second weekend. Friday, March 9th - Late morning: - The sales area was made ready for the second weekend in a row. Signs were straightened, plants trimmed, cards remade, etc. Inside the shadehouse, plants were spaced out to cover the sidewalk evenly, although creating some big holes. Arriving earlier than this customer, we had 1 customer waiting at the gate at a quarter to 8 in the morning. A big surprise. - A load of Bulbine practically fills this customers cart. - The crotons were regrouped, concentrated and pulled up towards the sidewalk. Some of the more common cultivars were restocked, but not many. - Slow morning. We did manage to have at least 1 customer in the sales area all day long, from before 8 to 5 in the afternoon. By the later hours it became a contest to see if it was going to happen. Right when we thought the streak would end, another would arrive. Ryan

- Over the past week or so I had been watching the new leaf emerge on this Dypsis remotiflora. It was just a spear about two weeks ago and has since popped open with another spear right behind it. This dwarf Dypsis was in a 3 gallon pot and just about full size. - Outside along the main road, the activity was slow, as the infrequent rain made sure of that. A customer bought a hefty triple Christmas Palm, Adonidia merrillii, so everyone had the time to help move it and load it. - The New Holland makes this much easier to do. - Travis set the strap and hooked it up to the machine, while Shane supervised. Ryan

- Customers continued to shop as the first few droplets of rain began to fall. - Sploosh. The rain started at around 11:00AM and continued off and on until about late afternoon. When the rain stopped or when it was light, people continued to shop and move about. In a strange way, we welcomed the rain on behalf of the plants. - "Hungry?" We were joined by frequent 'Ganza visitor and U.S. Army Reservist Shane Tanner. He recently returned from a long stay in Afghanistan where he built roads and other construction projects. He decided to get a jump on lunch early... for both today and tomorrow. By the way, that smiley face tattoo on his thumb is real. - During his time in Iraq, Travis made lots of friends with locals and he became well known around where he worked. He was given this Hookah as a gift from the translator he worked with and he learned to smoke it for the flavored tobacco. He brought it to the sale thinking it was going to be a slow day. Ryan

Sunday, March 4th - Early morning: - Sunday morning is the laid back and slow moving portion of the Extravaganza. If we are able to we will restock, but we usually have it done by Saturday afternoon. The gate is also left open for this morning and after 9:00AM, a trickle of customers began to appear. - The very first customers of the morning went straight to the shadehouse. In addition to some Cat Palms, Chamaedorea cataractarum, this customer grabbed the largest Verschaffeltia splendida we had left. - Portable holding area in progress. The wind was constant all morning and the clouds were beginning to build a fearsome looking mess above. - The rain was inevitable, but customers went on unabated. Ryan

- "Where are they going with that noisy contraption?" We unloaded the Red Sealing Wax Palms and took them into the shadehouse to be cleaned, tagged, etc. - As I was carrying the palms to the white tent, I noticed FM. Tom Christian (tikitiki) [hands on cart handle] standing with his family next to the Red Sealing Wax Palm spot on the sidewalk. On one of the trips out to grab more palms, I took this photo of one of his sons sitting on the cart next to a Licuala cabalionii; holding their new puppy. - The time drew closer to late afternoon and after a flurry of questions I was not able to take as many photos as I wanted. This always happens. - Travis + bored = Uh oh. It was later in the afternoon and the sale began to wind down for the day. Travis came across some raw Sugarcane and decided to share it with everyone. Ryan

- We made the right turn onto the side road that separates the two main shadehouses and encountered customers checking out the palms and plants in the landscape. - The last right turn took us down the main road and towards the masses. I had to photograph around Travis's head. - It was hard to not hear us coming, so customers began to part the roadway as we approached. - The sound of the tractor was an automatic horn. Ryan

- Travis and I returned from the parking lot after loading the two palms and were given another mission. Before we continued, Travis had to get a hat out of his truck. He got the truck while he was in the Army. He brought it back with him and it covered a very long distance in the process, notice the Hawaii license plate. - Off we go again. This time we were sent to get more Red Sealing Wax Palms out of the smaller shadehouse and bring them into the main shadehouse for restocking. We had to make a left turn but many of the volunteers' cars made it tricky. - We loaded the Red Sealing Wax Palms and took off, heading back along the side roads to avoid customers. We drove past the barn and people were still getting their fill on burgers and hotdogs. Ryan

This robust Sabal has taken everthing Tampa weather can throw at it. It was grown from seed collected from the original Riverside, Calif plant. The Riverside is on the left and a native S. palmetto is at the top of the frame. Brad