One thing to be wary of larger palms of this species is that many unscrupulous dealers on ebay upsize the pot and when you go to pot it you find that only 20% of the soil has roots. Ask me how I know! My ebay palm was bought this late summer on ebay and after the damage due to being shipped in a pot that was way too big, it lost its spear and I ma unsure whether it will recover given that it is being overwinterd for the next two months in a house that won't get over 70F for that duration. the other remaining leaves are still very healthy. Anybody know my chances of recovering from this? Be very wary of ebay palms of this species. If I had to do it again I would have bought a seedling. The one I bought is just entering the palmate stage of youth.

Hey tito, we would like to see your palm. Here are some simple instructions on how to post your picture: 1. upload your pictures to photobucket.com or any other photo site. 2. use this html code <_img src="<b>You%20paste%20the%20URL%20of%20the%20image%20here.%20If%20you%20are%20using%20photobucket,%20it%20is%20called%20the%20direct%20link%20and%20it%20starts%20with%20http://www.photobucket.....</b>" _> please note that the underscores ( _ ) are actually not supposed to be there. It should go together. I just used underscores so that a red X wouldn't show up. The only space you need to use is the one between img and src

Folks I realize this post may be somewhat off of the plant topic, but I found a few of these posts just really highly interesting, and would love to follow up and maybe hear a bit more! Mike El Paso - MIKE WROTE: "I was driving down Montana when I saw the orange trees I have pictured. Its funny, I have driven down that street hundreds of times and never noticed them before. " ---If you dont mind me asking, is that anywhere near Yarborough and I-25? That is the area I stay in when I am in El Paso, and know that Montana isnt too far away(at least I think that is the case!). I would love to see them myself the next time I am in EP! MIKE WROTE: " In my opinion EP enjoys one of the nicest climates in the country. The winters arent frost-free, but they arent bad at all having endless clear sunny days with highs in the 50s and 60s and only a few nights of low temps below 20F." ---It is interesting to hear you say that, as in my many visits to EP (probably about 8 in the last 2 years), I have felt that as well. It almost seems like it is closer to Phoenix-like temps in winter, and Albuquerque-like temps in the summer, which is a perfect combo (more mild than ABQ in the winter and more temperate than PHX in the summer). I know that the averages have Phoenix and EP starkly different in the winter, but I monitor temperatures very closely, and at least since I have moved to Albuquerque and started paying attention, it seems that EP is generally 10-to-12 degreesAT LEAST (sometimes 15+)warmer than Albuquerque in the winter (and from a Midwestern fellow, it isnt exactly terrible in ABQ in the winter either!). (As I write this, the official temps are El Paso: 70, Phoenix: 63, Albuquerque: 48, Denver: 15.ABQ certainly spared the Denver frigidness, but not enjoying the El Paso warmth!). MIKE WROTE: "As Im sure you all have surmised, I really like it here, great climate, great scenery, very friendly family oriented city with low crime, but El Paso does have its down side. For one theres not that much in the way of job opportunities and unless youre associated with the military the health care situation is less than average. Another down side is that EP doesnt have much to do entertainment wise. There are very few parks, and surprisingly though the city is rich in Hispanic culture, there isnt much in the way of cultural activities or many sites celebrating El Pasos heritage." ---I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the lack of job opportunities in EP! As much as I love living in Albuquerque, I am heavily interested in relocating my family to El Paso. However, I too have observed the job market in EP as being relatively non-existent! It really surprises me how bleak it is, considering the size of the city (and its growing naturealthough admittedly not growing as briskly as ABQ). I dont think the entertainment aspect would be a major concern to me, but at the end of the day, you still have to work (unfortunately!). MIKE WROTE: "San Antonio has the River Walk and La Villita, ABQ has Old Town and the Balloon Fiesta and Santa Fe is just the charm capital of the South West. Then theres El Paso, which as a city has a very large identity crisis. The city has nothing in common with the rest of Texas in fact its much more New Mexican (it would make so much more sense if El Paso county was annexed to New Mexico). It would just be nice if EP would embrace and celebrate its heritage and create its own identity, but then again if it got to trendy and commercial we would lose that sleepy border town charm that makes El Paso the ultimate land of mañana." ---I couldnt agree more with youwhy isnt EP in New Mexico!? I think NM would benefit greatly as a state by having EP on our side of the ledger, and I think EPs profile would be enhanced greatly too in terms of attention and recognition. I realize this would never happen, but I have often wondered this too. EP just seems to have so much more in common with the Albuquerques of the world than the Austins or Dallas/Ft. Worths, etc. Querqus ABQ - Hi, I noticed you wrote: "I agree. Maybe El Paso can keep it's borderland / outlaw charm AND start to embrace it, WHILE growing more attractively and thoughtfully. It might also help for some to get over their Phoenix-So Cal envy... " ---I have to say, I could read your insightful posts on this board for hoursI always find them incredibly information-packed. Again, realizing that this is a plant-specific board, based upon your last post, it appears that you have some good experience with EP. Id be interested if you would have a chance, if you wouldnt mind elaborating a bit on your last post here specifically the first paragraph. I dont know if I am even understanding it properly, but it sounds like: a) many in EP do not embrace the borderland element of their citys geography?, and b) does EP in manys opinion not grow thoughtfully, or more specifically, attractively (I know that I have heard from many what an eyesore / how "ugly" EP isand I just have never understood that, as I have always found its natural layout to be so beautiful). At any event, if you have a few minutes to post some more, Id love to hear more on that paragraph. From someone who loves EP so intensely visiting for now and maybe someday a relocater Id love to learn as much about it as possible along these lines. Thanks all, as always! Just incredibly insightful and fascinating information. I am very "sold" on El Paso! (Albuquerque isn't too shabby itself, though!)....

Got in late on Thursday and spent the weekend recuperating from my vacation! Work is piled up to the ceiling but it was well worth the trip. First of all, that city was ridiculously packed with tourists. Mostly from Europe. Seems like a popular destination for French, Japanese and Scandinavian tourists. The weather was way warmer than I thought it would be. I took sweaters for the evenings but all I needed was a light poncho. I stupidly got a sunburn too! As for our itinerary, we did everything. We were out the door pretty early everyday and able to beat the crowds pretty much everywhere we went. Saturday -Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market: Beautiful food everywhere! We had breakfast at Boulettes Larder - really fantastic food. -Exploratorium Museum: Really neat place but we got there too late and the crowd was just too much. It was packed with unruly kids and rude parents and nephew isn't the pushy type so he didn't get to have very much "hands on" with all the cool exhibits. We did see a cow's eye dissection, so there's that! -FW/Pier 39: Aquarium - really one of the better aquariums I've been. We were early so lots of the animals were active, especially the very cute Otters; RocketBoat Cruise - super silly and touristy but oh so much fun and got to see the sea lions while on the boat; lunch of chowder in a bread bowl at Boudin which was lame but I guess an iconic thing to get at FW. -Chinatown - Didn't have dinner but walked through. Really dirty and don't need to go to another Chinatown ever. -We were so tired we order takeout sushi (can't remember from where) in our hotel room. They have a service in SF that's much like Uber but for delivers. Worked great and sushi was good but average. Sunday - Had breakfast at Waterfront Bakery around the corner from the bike rental place at FW. Very yummy French pastries at this cute little bakery. Maybe not the best choice for breakfast before a bike ride! - The GGB bike ride was awesome! Again, started off early and beat the crowds. Sister and I had to walk our bikes up two very steep hills but nephew powered through the whole thing. Really, one of the easiest parts was on the bridge. Wind wasn't bad and all the bikers were very courteous. Sausalito is a fantastic little town. We parked out bikes (valet bike parking!) and walked around town, had the best burger ever at Napa Valley Burger, laid in the grass for awhile at a park by all the sail boats while nephew flew a kite. Took the ferry back to SF in late afternoon. I clocked the bike ride at around 10 miles. Getting off the Ferry at FW and riding back to the bike rental place was a little stressful because of the crowds and cars. -Took a cable car from our hotel to Frascati on Hyde (Russian Hill) for dinner. Fantastic little neighborhood bistro. Monday -Rented a car at the hotel (free upgrade to a Mercedes was nice) and drove to Muir Woods. We arrived around 8:30am and got a parking spot in the second parking lot. Had a decent breakfast at the cafe there and walked about two miles into the forest before nephew wanted to head back. Really beautiful and peaceful. So glad we left when we did. As we were getting closer to the entrance, the woods turned into a shopping mall - people everywhere with a din of voices. There were cars parked along the road for two miles! - Drove to Point Bonita Lighthouse with the most spectacular views! Went to Rodeo Beach down the road where nephew got to fly his kite. Basically a very uncomfortable gravel beach. Wish we had thought to take a blanket. - Headed back to SF and drove around the Castro, Haight-Ashbury (found an organic hot dog place that was just okay), the Tenderloin (yikes!), drove down the iconic hairpin turns on Lombard Street. Went to Baker Beach just before sunset. Nephew was happy to jump into the bone-chilling water! Returned our car about five blocks from the hotel. We walked back to the hotel UP THE HILL. No wonder there aren't that many people walking those hills. Tuesday - Took a cable car to Union Square, had breakfast at Sears (very good hearty breakfast fare). - Went to Alcatraz, what a wonderful experience. The audio tour is awesome and there was a former prisoner in the bookstore signing his book. The island is a bird sanctuary as well so it was really cool to see all the nests and fledglings. - Got on a cable car at one of the manual turntables (nephew loved that!) near FW and went back to the hotel. - Had dinner in the Mission District at Pica Pica, a Venezuelan arepa restaurant. Not amazing, but good. Walked around a bit and headed back. Wednesday - Sister and nephew went to iFly in Union City. She said they were on the Oakland bridge in traffic for almost 45 minutes. I stayed at the hotel to take care of work. - Had dinner at Boulevard near the Ferry Building. Beautiful old building and the food was spectacular. Thursday - Travel day. Checked out the hotel a little more (rooftop garden with beehives was a joke) and had a late breakfast. Laid around a bit and headed for the airport. Really nice airport! My sister's flight was an hour before mine so I had time to get a pedicure in the salon at the airport. One of the best pedicures I've ever had. Notes: -Cable cars are hard to get with all the tourists but I found a trick. Hold up a hand with fingers showing how many people are in your party. They'll pick you to jump on every time. Showing your City Pass helped too because then the operator knows they don't have to mess around with taking money and giving change. - Our hotel sucked. Very expensive Fairmont Hotel wasn't even close to being worth it except the location was good - away from the crowds. The only good thing I can say is that the beds were very comfortable. Maid service was terrible, concierge service was non-existent, and our room was musty and smelled like smoke. They claimed they had no other rooms to switch us to and offered to bring a ionizer to the room which took them and hour to bring. Breakfast was mediocre at best. That was way more detailed than I had intended! All in all, great vacation. Loved San Francisco but wouldn't want to live there!