a jeff searle weekend (with darian garden pix).

[paulgila]

join the PRA team as they host east coast luminary jeff "007" searle thru a breathtaking bevy of garden tours!

friday afternoon the activities include touring the gardens of myself & mattyb.

we are oozing plant geekiness as we check out mattyb's near-vertical garden.

bill sanford is trying to get his ears to pop due to the elevation.

his race is actually "vanilla" on government records.

here bill teaches jeff how to read.

[paulgila]

here jeff pleads for help.

bs man had his phone surgically affixed to his ear.

[paulgila]

a beautiful sunset was arranged just to impress the foreign guy(jeff).

dr.pepper & other beverages flowed freely into the nite.

bill has never met a vegetable stick he doesnt like & yes,even admire.

jeff is already homesick & decides to end it all with grilled corn.

it happens more than you'd think.

[paulgila]

jeff knows how to tell dirty jokes.

maybe not.

mattyb's refrigerator is held together by magnets.

ok serious picture!

this was as close as we got.

[paulgila]

told ya.

fart noise contest was a 4-way tie.

mattyb with imaginary drink.its cheaper that way.

"mmmmm my lips are chapstick smooth."

[paulgila]

grooming behaviors among primates.

finally he had had enough.

"get ooooouuuuutttttt."

the next day was the darian garden tour.

coincidence? you be the judge.

PRA team member bob weas delivered a 50 minute "fire & brimstone" sermon from the back seat

that drew rave reviews.

[paulgila]

bob toured the neighbors garden by mistake.

we didnt have the heart to tell him it was the wrong one.

birds nest suspended under palm frond.

they think they're so smart.

alan has the corporate sponsorship thing down.

our fearless tour guide.

[paulgila]

then bob lost his wallet in a palm tree.when asked which one he said:"i dunno,they all look the same to me."

FM "iwan" shows mattyb his goiter.

pritchardia labeled as "viscosa."

bill sanford took some advanced "gesticulation" courses for the occasion.

here he is getting warmed up for what promises to be a long day of gesticulating,

from the ever-popular "mild" all the way up to the challenging but dramatic "wild."

[paulgila]

to the crowds surprise he moves right into advanced territory with this

"jeebus on the mount" move.

& the crowd goes wild.

finally the tour was under way.

i took a few pix just to fit in.

[paulgila]

one of my favorite dypsis.

pinanga sp.

[paulgila]

another unbelievable dypsis.

grown men were weeping.

jeff has a camera to match every shirt.

[paulgila]

bob thinks his secret thoughts.

thrinax sp.

d.leptochielos in case you forgot to look up.

the gesticulations gained in complexity as the tour continued.

[paulgila]

d.decipiens.

bizzies never fail to impress.

looks like a copernicia,perhaps macroglossa.

[BS Man about Palms]

Could you see "my gesticulations" from where you were standing?

[paulgila]

this is a family show,bill.

[Walter John]

Points for the shirt Bill, not sure how many, but definitely points coming your way. Great to see you Jeff go all that way to join in the palmness of it all. Love the pics at Matty's place again. There should be a series, "At Matty's Place...again".

[palmcurry]

Buncha palmnuts!

[Rafael]

Funny movie Paul!

[ThunderSRQ]

Great stuff!!!

[DoomsDave]

Well, you guys sure gave Matty's Suicide Terrace a serious workout . . . .

[MattyB]

Why are we all orange?

[paulgila]

if you had installed the "indoor built-in automatic camera flash" like i asked then we wouldnt have that problem.

[Rafael]

Why are we all orange?

Maybe because of the sunset through the window.

Edited July 20, 2010 by rafael

[RainForestt Robert]

Seems as though everyone had a lot of fun. The trip to the Darian garden, as well as the others must have been a blast.

BTW, I thought the orange color was just a hangover from rooting for the Dutch in the World Cup finals.

Robert

[paulgila]

perttiest bamboo i ever saw.

biggest d.decaryi.

seeding c.macrocarpa.

beccariophoenix.

[paulgila]

lichee.their natural habitat is the asian market.

papaya trunk...

...& fruit.

[paulgila]

more from the sunny part of the garden.

lotsa delonix regia in this area.

one of the stand-outs.

i forgot what it is.

c.baileyana gives the dypsis a run for their money.

aiphanes sp.

[paulgila]

bob gives his official seal of approval.

now we can all breath easy.

bill sanford with palm for scale.

yes,bill often hears the Lords voice on palm tours.

sometimes its just len.

ceroxylon white vs sanford white.

the winner is clear.

[paulgila]

then he tried to hypnotize a rock.

these palms certainly hold their own.

fronds.

this doesnt even look real.

lets go in closer.

[paulgila]

closer.

still closer.

"even closer still" closer.

[paulgila]

looks a little stretchier in shade.

beehive under the walkway.

what an amazing idea.

[paulgila]

marojejya darianii.

[paulgila]

non-palm enjoyment is acceptable--in small doses.

isnt this yer favorite palm,bill?

prestoea sp.

matts shirt seems to lose its structural integrity in the presence of any camera.

[BS Man about Palms]

Did it work? Did I hypnotize you?

[paulgila]

i was convinced this is where the original "planet of the apes" movie was filmed.

bob had to talk me down.

i searched & searched but dr.zaius was nowhere to be found.

we finally made it to the potluck & found everyone having fun without us.

[paulgila]

the construction was kinda interesting.very "beamy."

freakypalmguy & elhoagie share a tender moment.

you cant just go to wal-mart & buy one of these,can you?

awesomeness.

[paulgila]

Did it work? Did I hypnotize you?

no....master.

[BS Man about Palms]

Did it work? Did I hypnotize you?

no....master.

[ariscott]

Paul, is that Dendrocalamus asper black? My favourite.... I posted a pic from Bogor a long time ago...

That walkway has got me thinking.... since the kids' granny flat will be elevated.... I can always make a walkway from the kids granny flat to a lookout to our dam... Hhmm, although I can see kids doing jumps from it....

Regards, Ari

[freakypalmguy]

Hi Ari,

I'll answer for Paul, your bamboo ID is spot on and I agree, my favorite as well. It is a beauty.

Matt