The Cactus Trip Diaries | Just another WordPress.com site

Time 2020-10-03 01:07:24

Web Name: The Cactus Trip Diaries | Just another WordPress.com site

WebSite: http://pkcactus.info

ID:68180

Keywords:

Trip,Diaries,The,

Description:

I really enjoyed the Second Weekend in September, that just like previous ELK events, once it has passed, soon is filed in the memory banks and planning moves on to ELK 2021, hopefully along the lines that we ve got used to in previous years.The core members of our ELK party are already talking about a get together in the Netherlands, to visit our friends who run C S nurseries, chat, eat and enjoy a drink or two. I did not get my annual red cross parcel for the first time since my move to the UK in 1967 and I have not yet experienced what I can bring back legally since BREXIT kicked in. I have long run out of Zoute Drop (licorice), Zaanse Stroop Wavels and to pick up some Dutch junk food in the shape of een broodje kroket .Here in Wiltshire, at Solstice Park, we celebrate that today in about 91 days, on 21 December, the days start getting longer again. In the mean time I ll have to make do with playing back old presentations, starting with Chile 2001 this coming Sunday.Sunday  September 27, 2020 07:30 PM British Summer Timehttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/82356570320?pwd=aUx6K09vWi9ZZDdHT1F6clh3c01Jdz09Meeting ID: 823 5657 0320Passcode: 2001ChileAnyone who wants to give a Zoom presentation, even just to try out the format, let me know.Hope to see you there!So yesterday night we would have arrived home in Amesbury, Wiltshire, avoiding the A303 and the queues past Stonehenge, 5 miles farther on.Sadly, there was no haul of plants to unpack. The dustbin men woke me forcing me to get up and add the empty bottles of Westmalle to the glass only container. It s still hay-fever season for me this time due to the orchid pollen, At least I did not suffer any sneezing attacks during the presentations!Normally, part of the ELK experience is that I would have finalized the upcoming trips to cactus land checked that my fellow travelers were ready. Check how many pounds we need to change to dollars, pesos or whatever else we need this year. Nothing! Just as well as the currency exchange rates are not good and quite variable. Last year I had already started planning for the next trip, to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, bought the books and guides and read up the essentials where do the cacti grow? The plans will still be good when travel once again be possible.So it remains for me to thank all the speakers for their fine talks, Ronald Fontyene and Ian Woolnough on the Friday, Rikus van Veldhuisen, Finn Larsen, and Wiebe Bosma on Saturday and Alain Buffel and Jonathan Clark on the Sunday. Brilliant photography, wonderful landscapes and for showing us a huge range of varied plants, some I ll probably never see in nature clearly I started too late in life! I looked through my bank statements and see that there is a lot more money in then normally on this date! Yet I would have gladly seen the usual post-ELK nearly-broke status and look back on the real-life experience!Finally a great thank you to all those who attended without you it would have been a very empty and boring on these pages.If you click on the Follow button at the bottom right of this screen, you ll get a message of my future webinars, mostly on Sunday night. If you re free, I ll be happy to see you there.I admit that normally (for me since, 1985) the 3rd day of ELK is usually waking up with a headache after too much beer on Saturday night, followed by a review of the plants purchased along the lines of Angie is this your plant or did I buy it? Can it fit in your top box or do we start a new box? Shall we take the plants to the car before or after breakfast? Then a quiet scratching of the head; How are we going everything in the car? What time shall we leave for Duinkerken? What time do we have to be there? Shall we go for the earlier one? We d better go for breakfast! Do you have the tickets? Better start saying goodbye to our friends until next year! This time it is easier. For the first time, we are going to the Sunday lectures without the worry about the journey home. What is the talk? Alain Buffel on his trip with Greet around Australia in 2018! I bought my first cactus (Mammillaria hahnianaand still in my collection in the greenhouse) back in 1978 and a second plant followed the next week.I was offically infected with the cactus and succulent virus and there was and still is no cure for it. Wanting to see the world of the plants that I grew my first ‘plant-expedition’ followed in 1991 to go and see the then still very exotic world with a 6 week trip to South Africa.To make a long story short, I never recovered from that infection either and travelling the world to see plants in habitat became a second passion, never to end again. Some 20 trips later I still feel passionate by growing plants, mainly from seeds brought back from habitat plants. This resulted in a trip to Australia in 2018. This the story of that trip: Join Alain at his Webinar at :Sunday 13 September – 11:30 Central European Summer Time(= 10:30 British Summer Time)https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81144723794?pwd=SVA5MTFDYytqOUgrSk9oQ3RFN0hWdz09Join Dr. Jonathan Clark’s ‘Cacti Succulents in 3D’ Webinar onSunday 13 September 15:00 PM European Summer Time (= 14:00 British Summer Time)by following:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84737413362?pwd=am9FZFV4eTVlamxuSHBZbmZlZmVvQT09Jonathan Clark writes: I have been growing cacti and other succulents all my life since school days, and I have always been interested in technology, especially computers, plus photography. My interests also include anything and everything that enables creation and showing of 3-Dimensional images. I have already given many 3D cactus and succulent talks in ‘real’ 3D, taken both in habitat and in cultivation – my aim being to bring a ‘full immersion’ view of cactus habitats to the audience. However, that uses the same technique as the cinema and requires a special screen and glasses. Since everyone will just be viewing the talks this weekend on their home computer screens, that are (mostly) not 3D, it has been quite a challenge to work out a way of giving a 3D talk that can be viewed on normal 2D screens. The method I’ve worked out does NOT need polarising or ‘funny-coloured’ glasses. I will be showing pictures taken during trips to Mexico, including Baja, that I went on with Paul Klaassen and others, as well as pictures taken of plants in cultivation.Paul writes: Jonathan’s parents must have had quite a sense of humour giving him a middle name starting with the letter Y. There is already a Doctor Who, so he is Doctor Why! Enjoy the images! We hope to persuade Jonathan to write up how he did this (perhaps in Cactus World?) I’d love to know how to do this AND make it look good in webinars!And that is it! Feel free to stay until the janitor switches off the lights. Have another drink with friends! Make plans to meet up next year for the Second Weekend in September 2021, hopefully at Duinse Polder in Blankenberge, Belgium.Normally we would be on the ferry to Dover, gaining an hour before we reach England. Some 3 hours after disembarking I arrive home, rushing to unload the car before dark. Tomorrow the race begins to move all my plants back into the greenhouse for winter, until May next year when they move outside for summer sun and rain.Thank you to all the presenters and people who sat through the test presentations to minimise any ‘problemettes’. Many people have thanked me to help us to get us through these strange COVID 19 days. Check this page for announcements for future get togethers.Saturday 12 September – 11:30 Central European Summer Time(= 10:30 British Summer Time)Paul Klaassen (Tephrocactus Study Group) ‘But I don’t like Opuntias! 2020’.In the absence of formal proposals from the TSG, I will present ‘But I don’t like Opuntias – 2020.’ The theme will be similar to the talk I gave at the TSG AGM what seems now quite a few years ago. Once again I’ll show images (newly selected) of Opuntias s.l. that I have seen in nature selected from the 15-16 or so groups using the taxonomy/classification of the New Cactus Lexicon 2006. Plenty of opportunity for differing opinions! No fighting please!Saturday 12 September – 13:30 Central European Summer Time(= 12:30 British Summer Time)Rikus van Veldhuisen(Euphorbia International Org):Magnificent TanzaniaImages from my recent trips to Tanzania, with of course anyEuphorbiawe saw!Saturday 12 September – 18:00 hrs Central European Summer Time(= 17:00 British Summer Time)Finn Larsen (Denmark) : A trip to southern PeruFinn writes: I´m Danish and live with my wife to the west of Copenhagen. For many years I’ve been active in our Danish Cactus and Succulent Society (Nordisk Kaktus Selskab) and for many years I have been travelling to look for cacti and succulents. Paul K. writes: in 2003 we met Finn, on his own, in the Quebrada San Ramon, near to Taltal on our second Copiapoathon. Ian had space in his car, so invited Finn to join us for the rest of our trip. Finn has traveled since with Ian in USA and Mexico and meets up with our group at ELK where he has a sales stand.Finn continues: In 2015 I paid my friend Carlos Jimenez a visit and we made some trips looking for cacti in Peru. One of our trips went to southern Peru and Macusani to seePunotia lagopusand other cacti.Saturday 12 September – 20:00 hrs Central European Summer Time(= 19:00 British Summer Time)Wiebe Bosma – Succulent highlights from EthiopiaPaul writes: within minutes of Ronald’s announcement on Facebook that ELK 2020 would be cancelled this year because of COVID-19 I wrote to my friends suggesting that we should set up Webinar presentations to fill the gap in our diaries. Wiebe was the first to reply, within minutes, and so has been given the Saturday night ‘Top Slot’Regular attendants of ELK will know Wiebe from his sales stand at the back of the tent in Duinse Polder. In case he needs further introduction Wiebe writes: “Born in 1959, have enjoyed a ‘life-time’ interest in cacti and succulents. I started collecting these plants as a teenager and right now have a mixed collection in a 24 square meter greenhouse. I enjoy looking for cacti and succulents in their natural habitat and have done so in 8 different countries. Wiebe has a broad interest in people, culture and nature from the countries that he visits and being an amateur photographer, so always returns back home with a load of pictures. And yes, he likes the local beers. Cheers!And so we reach the end of Saturday night. Feel free to continue the chat over a few more (Belgian) beers or wine from cactus country and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning for more Webinars!I suspect that a gremlin has crept into tonight s opening talk. Please use use this link to get in. Apologies for any inconvenience!Time: Sep 11, 2020 05:00 PM Londonhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83147512741?pwd=aEdPZ0EvU1F2WTlyM0VsT2F0Uk4vUT09I bought my first cactus (Mammillaria hahniana and still in my collection in the greenhouse) back in 1978 and a second plant followed the next week.I was offically infected with the cactus and succulent virus and there was and still is no cure for it. Wanting to see the world of the plants that I grew my first plant-expedition followed in 1991 to go and see the then still very exotic world with a 6 week trip to South Africa.To make a long story short, I never recovered from that infection either and travelling the world to see plants in habitat became a second passion, never to end again. Some 20 trips later I still feel passionate by growing plants, mainly from seeds brought back from habitat plants. This resulted in a trip to Australia in 2018. This the story of that trip:Join Alain at his Webinar at : Sunday 13 September – 11:30 Central European Summer Time(= 10:30 British Summer Time)https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81144723794?pwd=SVA5MTFDYytqOUgrSk9oQ3RFN0hWdz09 Join Dr. Jonathan Clark s Cacti Succulents in 3D Webinar on Sunday 13 September 15:00 PM European Summer Time (= 14:00 British Summer Time) by following: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84737413362?pwd=am9FZFV4eTVlamxuSHBZbmZlZmVvQT09Jonathan Clark writes: I have been growing cacti and other succulents all my life since school days, and I have always been interested in technology, especially computers, plus photography. My interests also include anything and everything that enables creation and showing of 3-Dimensional images. I have already given many 3D cactus and succulent talks in ‘real’ 3D, taken both in habitat and in cultivation – my aim being to bring a ‘full immersion’ view of cactus habitats to the audience. However, that uses the same technique as the cinema and requires a special screen and glasses. Since everyone will just be viewing the talks this weekend on their home computer screens, that are (mostly) not 3D, it has been quite a challenge to work out a way of giving a 3D talk that can be viewed on normal 2D screens. The method I’ve worked out does NOT need polarising or ‘funny-coloured’ glasses. I will be showing pictures taken during trips to Mexico, including Baja, that I went on with Paul Klaassen and others, as well as pictures taken of plants in cultivation. Paul writes: Jonathan’s parents must have had quite a sense of humour giving him a middle name starting with the letter Y. There is already a Doctor Who, so he is Doctor Why! Enjoy the images! We hope to persuade Jonathan to write up how he did this (perhaps in Cactus World?) I’d love to know how to do this AND make it look good in webinars!And that is it! Feel free to stay until the janitor switches off the lights. Have another drink with friends! Make plans to meet up next year for the Second Weekend in September 2021, hopefully at Duinse Polder in Blankenberge, Belgium.Normally we would be on the ferry to Dover, gaining an hour before we reach England. Some 3 hours after disembarking I arrive home, rushing to unload the car before dark. Tomorrow the race begins to move all my plants back into the greenhouse for winter, until May next year when they move outside for summer sun and rain.Thank you to all the presenters and people who sat through the test presentations to minimise any problemettes . Many people have thanked me to help us to get us through these strange COVID 19 days. Check this page for announcements for future get togethers.Saturday 12 September 11:30 Central European Summer Time(= 10:30 British Summer Time) Paul Klaassen (Tephrocactus Study Group) But I don t like Opuntias! 2020 .In the absence of formal proposals from the TSG, I will present But I don t like Opuntias 2020. The theme will be similar to the talk I gave at the TSG AGM what seems now quite a while ago. Once again I ll show images (newly selected) that I have seen in nature from the 15-16 or so groups that are known as Opuntias s.l. using the taxonomy/classification of the New Cactus Lexicon 2006. Plenty of opportunity for differing opinions! No fighting please!Saturday 12 September 13:30 Central European Summer Time(= 12:30 British Summer Time)Rikus van Veldhuisen (Euphorbia International Org): Magnificent TanzaniaImages from my recent trips to Tanzania, with of course any Euphorbia we saw!Image taken from http://u4ba.nl/about_me.html Saturday 12 September – 18:00 hrs Central European Summer Time(= 17:00 British Summer Time)Finn Larsen (Denmark) : A trip to southern PeruFinn writes: I´m Danish and live with my wife to the west of Copenhagen. For many years I ve been active in our Danish Cactus and Succulent Society (Nordisk Kaktus Selskab) and for many years I have been travelling to look for cacti and succulents. Paul K. writes: in 2003 we met Finn, on his own, in the Quebrada San Ramon, near to Taltal on our second Copiapoathon. Ian had space in his car, so invited Finn to join us for the rest of our trip. Finn has traveled since with Ian in USA and Mexico and meets up with our group at ELK where he has a sales stand.Finn continues: In 2015 I paid my friend Carlos Jimenez a visit and we made some trips looking for cacti in Peru. One of our trips went to southern Peru and Macusani to see Punotia lagopus and other cacti. Saturday 12 September – 20:00 hrs Central European Summer Time(= 19:00 British Summer Time)Wiebe Bosma Succulent highlights from EthiopiaPaul writes: within minutes of Ronald s announcement on Facebook that ELK 2020 would be cancelled this year because of COVID-19 I wrote to my friends suggesting that we should set up Webinar presentations to fill the gap in our diaries. Wiebe was the first to reply, within minutes, and so has been given the Saturday night Top Slot Regular attendants of ELK will know Wiebe from his sales stand at the back of the tent in Duinse Polder. In case he needs further introduction Wiebe writes: Born in 1959, have enjoyed a ‘life-time’ interest in cacti and succulents. I started collecting these plants as a teenager and right now have a mixed collection in a 24 square meter greenhouse. I enjoy looking for cacti and succulents in their natural habitat and have done so in 8 different countries. Wiebe has a broad interest in people, culture and nature from the countries that he visits and being an amateur photographer, so always returns back home with a load of pictures. And yes, he likes the local beers. Cheers! And so we reach the end of Saturday night. Feel free to continue the chat over a few more (Belgian) beers or wine from cactus country and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning for more Webinars!In 1995 my job was IT Documentation manager for an international benefit consultancy and used to knock up websites for fun. A lot has changed, not in the least my energy levels and my ability to find solutions that the software that I now have available produces.My Blog allows me to publish pages for dates in the past not in the future. I should have tested this feature out sooner but here we go. Friday 11 September 18:00 hrs Central European Summer Time (= 17:00 British Summer Time)INTRODUCTION and OPENING COMMENTSRonald Fontyene Paul KlaassenRonald has collected cacti and other succulents since the early 1970s. His interests in all aspects of the adaptation of succulent plants to arid and semi-arid ecosystems has resulted in a mixed collection of both cacti and other succulent plants. He says: This interest goes hand in hand with my pleasure in photography, which comes in handy when illustrating articles and giving lectures. Ronald is a member of the Flemish cactus succulent societies Grusonia and Lophophora, Succulenta, the BCSS and the DKG (Deutsche Kakteen Gesellschaft). For 15 years he was treasurer of Grusonia. Since 2006 he was involved in the organization of the ELK, first as secretary-treasurer and now as chairman.After the opening comments, Ronald will entertain us with his presentation From Cederberg to Richtersveld (South Africa).The wide surroundings along the Atlantic coast of South Africa consist of areas famous for their extreme richness of succulent plants of which many are endemic to this region. Succulent Karoo, Cederberg, Namaqualand, Knersvlakte and Richtersveld are place names that trigger the imagination of a succulent plant lover. Here we are introduced to the great botanical diversity of these regions, from the tiny Conophytum minitum to the tall Aloe pillansii, photographed during a six-day tour through fascinating landscapes.Friday 11 September 20:00 hrs Central European Summer Time(= 19:00 British Summer Time)by Ian Woolnough: “Some Pediocactus, Sclerocactus and selected associates”.Ian first joined us on the 2003 Copiapoathon in Chile. Here he is preparing dinner at Secret Valley, south of Taltal. Since then he has travelled to the USA (to avoid language problems), Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Argentina and Peru, often with his wife Sarda. You may recognise them from their plant sales at ELK where Sarda is often seen selling the plants while Ian is sampling Belgian beers.Tonight he will entertain us with images of the Sclerocacti and Pediocacti plus other flora, fauna and scenery in the USA from multiple visits.Almost there! With (almost) all speakers for the Second Weekend in September 2020 (SWiS2020) having had a chance to test their presentations, this weekend s session is primarily a chance for the speakers to meet up, exchange any questions and tips for next weekend and a chance to share a few beers. It has become a tradition to leave the speaker of tonight s rehearsal until the last minute. Tonight is no exception, as Eunice Thompson from Bellflower, CA cancelled her drone flying again, this time stressed by the high number COVID-19 cases and by unrest caused by use of violence against black people in the USA.So we re pleased to welcome Alain Buffel from Oostende back to show us a brand new version of his presentation featuring strange plants and animals that he saw in 2018 on his trip to Australia. Tonight I will also present the program for the Second Weekend in September (SWiS2020) event.

TAGS:Trip Diaries The 

<<< Thank you for your visit >>>

Just another WordPress.com site

Hot Websites