I took this photo recently of the mountain with the sun setting on it and the moon rising above. As always, I look at the cactus and remember how small they were when my parents first bought this house. They've grown so much since then.
These are just two of the ten saguaros we have on our property. I was reading on Wikipedia that these cacti have relatively long lives, often exceeding 150 years. And although some don’t have arms, the ones that do, grow their first side arms around 75-100 years old. They are the largest cactus in the United States. And their scientific name - Carnegiea Gigantea - was given in honor of Andrew Carnegie.
I remembered that I had scanned some photo albums last year and dove into my pictures to find these. This was the house when my parents first bought it in 1981.
I remembered that I had scanned some photo albums last year and dove into my pictures to find these. This was the house when my parents first bought it in 1981.
The saguaro skeleton is long gone, but the other two have grown quite tall in the past 41 years. Wikipedia has a chart that helps you determine the age of the cactus from their height. It says a 10-foot cactus is approximately 41 years old, 20 feet approximately 83 years old, and 25 feet approximately 107 years old. We're looking at some pretty old plants here.
2021: The Conquerer
2020: Route 66 Midway Point
2019: Hello, My Little Dumpling
2018: Colorful Confections
2017: The Opposite Of Being Seen And Not Heard
2016: El Ed Rides El Tour
2015: Not Everything Is Lost
2014: Hairspray Is Gross
2013: Breathing Retro Life Into The West End Of A Miracle Mile
2012: A Little Bit Of Wyoming
2011: A Franchophile’s Paradise
2010: 10 Things I Learned On My Vacation In Italy
2009: A Beautiful Deep Fried Pocket Of Cornmeal Dough. Or, My Mom.
2008: A Foxy Furry Little Friend
2007: The One That Got Away
2006: Don’t We All?
2005: Miss Singular