Tagged With "bristly pear"

Can't beat Doug and Bob McKenzie for knowing how to celebrate the spirit of Christmas! Need to get my "beer in a pear tree" soon.

As it snows and storms outside, a welcome diversion! I find all cacti interesting but there's something captivating about the saguaro forest around Tucson. While visiting Saguaro National Park (years ago, before it was a national park), I remember a newspaper clipping tacked onto the park's information board. The headline read something like "Saguaro cactus involved in double homocide". Seems a drunk yahoo with a shotgun drove out to the desert to kill himself a giant saguaro. He did, the...

I love to travel in the winter to hot countries - who doesn't ? But apart from the obvious reasons you get access to rare and strange fruit that just doesn't travel well. Star fruit, Custard apples, Salak and Prickly pears ! PRICKLY PEARS Delicious !!

You actually can eat those fruits?

It may seem a little surprising, but yes…it’s food! I always wonder about things like this: Who was the first human desperate enough to try eating a spiny thistle (the one we call an artichoike!)

Spending time in the Tucson area, I've learned to appreciate cacti even more. What amazes me is how many tall saguaro there are because it takes so long for them to grow.

I love the Saguaro forest around Tucson. Especially in the spring when the cacti are in bloom!

Netweather.tv illustration from the Telegraph (UK)   Robert Browning wouldn't be very happy with this week's April weather forecast for much of Britain. A "polar plume" is expected to arrive, bringing sub-freezing temperatures to Scotland and...

Looking for some free things to do in the Phoenix area? If so, Samantha shares some of the exciting and free things to do while exploring the city.

The Easter is the most important celebration of the Romanian people and it is preceded by numerous preparations and rituals. One of the rituals consists in the preparation of the Romanian traditional food, which for me is the most important thing...

    Most folks visit Sequoia National Park to see its giant sequoia trees, the largest living things on the earth!  That's a great reason to go and there are wonderful hikes through these amazing forests of giants and the meadows that...

 Even a non-artist like me can make you think of the desert with just a few squiggles of a felt-tip marker. See above? I did it already…and what does the trick is that everyone has seen the image forever, even though the cactus in the...

I lost my heart in Paris a long time ago, but every time we visit we plan some out-of-city experiences as well. Last summer, as part of our two weeks in Paris, we planned a two-day side-trip to Normandy, visiting Mont-Saint-Michel.   For our...

Everyone is always on a health kick. If you take a look around you I am sure you see several people munching on some lettuce and possibly in work out gear. I am here to tell you that healthy, good-for-you food doesn't have to be boring. Choices...

Stephanie Kalina-Metzger visits pretty Talbot County in Maryland, and shares some suggestions for fun ways to spend your time in the small towns of Easton, Oxford and St. Michaels.

On a visit with friends in Palm Springs, PortMoresby seeks out a corner of Southern California desert history at Moorten's Botanical Garden.

Travel Rob finds some statues in Montreal in some unexpected places.

Jonathan L visited the Boscobel Mansion and grounds in Garrison, New York

DrFumblefinger hikes to Heather Lake in Sequoia National Park.

Join Samantha on a visit to a Phoenix Point of Pride: the nation's largest municipal park.

In Santa Barbara, the botanic garden is focused on the flora of California in its historic home on land once part of the Santa Barbara mission.

PHeymont revisits one of his favorite markets and reminisces over some of the favorite treats he's enjoyed there.

DrFumblefinger enjoyed a hike to Blossom Lakes in the Idaho Panhandle, which during the fall offers nice colors to enhance your enjoyment of the journey.

DrFumblefinger visits the pretty Neo-Gothic Parish Church of St. Martin, located in the small Slovenian town of Bled.

Marilyn Jones settles in for a luxury night in Albuquerque, and some fine Mexican cuisine

Portugal's food experts have updated the national catalog of edible fruits.

This was our third trip to Istanbul, and we had already covered all the major “must do” tourist locations and several of the minor ones. Yes, Istanbul has some great restaurants, but it’s time to relax and pay some attention to some of the street food.