Our first stop was San Diego, California, where we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary - while rejoicing in the sun and warmth. We tried to keep the itinerary loose and non-committed. Our only must-do involved time spent together at Balboa Park. What more could we ask for? Gardens, museums and a zoo, all in one place.
After picking up a map of the park we wandered through the palm canyon in route to the old cactus garden (yes, there will be posts about both).
It was in the old cactus garden where my online life (in this example Pinterest) and my reality merged in a way that had me questioning if I’d been here before. Surely I had, why was this all so familiar? I knew that container, the plants, the wall.
It was an odd sensation, that feeling of recognition where there shouldn’t be any. Below is the image I knew, having “pinned” it on my Pinterest containers board back in the early days…
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| Pinterest image from Fine Gardening via Potted |
Part of me wishes I’d thought to grab my iPhone and look up the pin, so I could have framed a shot to better match what I was seeing and what I had pinned. As it was I was trying to avoid the doors to the left of the first pot, I’d never even noticed them in the Pin.
Part of me enjoys just seeing the “now” that I saw that day.
Both containers (and a third) were still there, a little worse for the wear, but still there in exactly the same spots.
The odd feeling will live on in my memory, perhaps larger than it should, like I’d stepped into a favorite movie and was seated at the Cinema Paradiso, or had pulled up a chair to enjoy a taste of The Big Night feast.
All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
What an strange deja vu-like experience that must have been. Every year at about this time, I start to notice all the houseplants/tropicals that have interesting caudexes, like those tall plants in the center of the containers. I wonder if this may be the year I buy one (or two).
ReplyDeleteAndrew loves the caudiciform plants too, sadly I seem especially good at killing them.
DeleteCongratulations to you both on your milestone anniversary!
ReplyDeleteSeeing the pinned pot in the flesh must have felt like you witnessed two dimensions meeting each other, or stepping from one to the other. Surreal!
It was bizarre, truly.
DeleteHappy anniversary, Loree and Andrew. What a great trip, with a very "doo do doo do" kind of moment....I love those.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tamara!
DeleteHappy anniversary! What a beautiful place to celebrate at.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure what happened to you could happen to all of us at some point since we're constantly exposed to images of places we've never seen but might eventually visit.
Those potted arrangements are beautiful, by the way. I'd never have thought of combining pachypodium with golden barrel cactus!
Me neither but it totally works, especially with the trailing graptoveria (?).
DeleteThose photos are messing with my brain--it keeps seeing them as miniatures, like the pots could go on your table at home. Happy anniversary!
ReplyDeleteOh I wish they were, that would be fabulous!
DeleteA belated happy anniversary, Loree! From the side, the succulents in the pot, with the barrel cacti at the base, make me think of giant snails, particularly the one in the foreground of the Fine Gardening shot. Is that just me?
ReplyDeleteNope, not just you! (see Robin's comment below)
DeleteHappy anniversary! Glad you enjoyed your trip to the twilight zone! The pots are cool.
ReplyDeleteHa, indeed that's what it was!
DeleteHow fascinating to be brought up short by a plant image in your past: It reminds me of the movie Oblivion, which I just viewed yesterday. Maybe you should be writing film scripts - well, planty ones, anyway ;-)
ReplyDeleteHappy 10th anniversary to you and Andrew!
We need more planty films!
DeleteHa! I, too, have this on a pin board and commented on how "snail-like" they looked, down to the "feelers". We are about an hour away from San Diego now, and are committed to discovering our new favorite city.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary. (And you mentioned two of my favorite movies!)
Lucky you, have fun! (those movies are so old now, I forget...)
DeleteHappy anniversary! There should be a new word coined for that experience, because I'm sure we're all going to be experiencing it a lot. (Wow - is that damp/mold in that wall?)
ReplyDeleteYes! We need a word. Any ideas?
DeleteAs for the walls they were very pretty in that condition, but not great for the long term success of the building.
Congratulations on ten years! I imagine with those barrel cactus, the pots do indeed stay in the same spots.
ReplyDeleteAnd they look to be quite heavy too.
DeleteThe Pachypodium looks the worse for wear, poor thing.
ReplyDelete10 years: you have barely begun. Enjoy the journey and all the adventures ahead of you.
Indeed, hanging on, but not happy (the pachypodium, not our marriage)
DeleteI lived right on the edge of Balboa Park for a time, never realizing what a treasure sat right out my back door (a toddler & a baby can have that effect). We did spend quite a bit of time at the zoo. Those ten year increments should always be properly celebrated...congratulations.
ReplyDelete