Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Q. What do Prickly Pear Cactus and old boats have in common?

A. They are both found here, in quantity…
This same house typically has several plastic tubs full of healthy Brugmansia out in the driveway. I only recently noticed the Opuntia collection.
Why are they pushed up so tightly along the boat trailer? I have no idea.
When I noticed the Opuntia I also noticed what looks like a greenhouse off the back of the house…
That would explain how they have such huge Brugmansia every year (which I would have photographed, but they weren’t out yet). Looking closer produces more questions. Why the bottles full of water hanging along the side? The pavers? Looks like future projects were lined up.
Projects like this one, the retaining wall project, about 5 years into it…
Did you notice the hell strip planted is with Roses?
There were even a couple in bloom…
Speaking of blooms, that’s a lot of pink smashed into a small space…

32 comments:

  1. It does make you wonder sometimes what are the stories behind things you see. This one included! Fascinating combination of odd and ends, including the boat and the opuntias!

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    1. I would love to go knock on the front door and ask questions, but that could either go really bad, or really good. And I'm too chicken to see...

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  2. You know....someone backed up and stole my dad's neighbors boat in the night once. Yep...backed up...hooked it up...never to be seen again. I am thinking those cacti will make a pretty good security system! BACK OFF....try moving those suckers in the dark! ;)

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    1. No! That's horrible...but then again if you're low enough to steal then what do you care about trashing someone's cactus collection?

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  3. Very peculiar. They should make the hell strip an opuntia patch!!! I'm kind of at a loss for words.

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    1. That would be AMAZING! But then again they'd have to remove the sod first...

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  4. Quite a collection of stuff in those photos. The bottles of water must be weights to hold the plastic down. I've seen them used inside the green house for temperature control, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

    It's always a challenge to manage a plant collection.

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    1. Oh yes...bottles as weights I should have thought of that. Good call!

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  5. I think some people have lots more good ideas than energy to carry them out... They do seem to have a way with opuntias, though!

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    1. Oh for sure...those are some very happy cactus pads!

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  6. I love all the odd properties you come across. LOL.

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    1. Have you seen the bumper stickers "keep Portland weird?"...it's really not too much of a challenge.

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  7. Jane seems to have hit upon the solution to this puzzle. I was thinking a gardener had lived there before, then new people took over the place with no enthusiasm for gardening. The newly discarded nursery pot discarded near the roses and the row of Opuntias tell me that's a lame rationalization. You do come across some interesting puzzles when you are out and about.

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    1. What little I see of this property says that the gardener is still in residence...I think (as you) that Jane called it.

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  8. I agree with Heather--I bet those opuntia are serving double duty as a theft deterrent.

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    1. Reminds me of a wall (and I do mean wall) of Agave I saw in Fillmore, California. I stopped to take pictures and the guy came out to see what I was doing. Turns out that he uses them as a security fence along the side of his business.

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  9. Cool odds n' ends. But most importantly...did you talk him out of an Opuntia?

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    1. Na...(I think it's a she) and I'm feeling fairly Opuntia rich at the moment (thanks in a large part to you!)

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  10. Definitely a puzzler there...I agree with the above commenters...seems like someone has more ideas than time to implement them.

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    1. You (and they) must be right. Of course your time is all about how you prioritize it...

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  11. Peculiar! I love their enthusiasm for opuntias... but there is for sure some crazy going on there. Why not make the hell patch an opuntia patch!?! That would be epic!

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    1. You and the "other" Louis think alike...

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    2. thats soo funny! I thought blogger ate my message. I was at work on my phone :P

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    3. Ha...I thought it sort of peculiar that two guys named Louis would have the same thought...but then there are two Heathers so who's to say?

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  12. The thing they have in common is that I LOVE that photo. What an excellent juxtaposition. That's going on Pinterest! I will tag...

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    1. I'm glad I could supply you with Pinterest fodder oh pinning master!

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  13. Looks like one of my lost projects from gardening paradise.

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    1. Just sit right back
      And you'll hear a tale
      A tale of a fateful trip,
      That started from this tropic port,
      Aboard this tiny ship.
      The mate was a mighty sailin' man,
      The Skipper brave and sure,
      Five passengers set sail that day,
      For a three hour tour,
      A three hour tour.

      The weather started getting rough,
      The tiny ship was tossed.
      If not for the courage of the fearless crew
      The Minnow would be lost.
      The Minnow would be lost.

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  14. So much to see but hard to articulate. I guess the best thing I can say is "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

    Very interesting residence and yes, this one seems to be well within the theme 'Keep Portland Weird."

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    1. Yes it's true (the beauty thing)...I'm sure many people don't get my garden either!

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  15. The next time you are in my neighborhood, please let me know. I could show you hundreds of similar scenes.

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    1. Oh yes...of course! Those boats do look like something that could turn up in your photographs.

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