Romijn pipe ashtray

Hello and good day to you! Today's post is about a very cool and new addition to my pipe collection:

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Poul Stanwell Collection 925 - 15

A Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray!

I'm already a proud owner of a stone Romijn pipe tamper for about six years. It's a greenish tamper made out of Onyx that I've bought from my friend Martin Romijn on the first big(compared to today's meetings it wasn't that big!) pipe smokers meeting of the Duch/Flemish Pipe Smokers Forum in Leerdam.

PRF pipe smokers meeting 2010, Leerdam, The Netherlands

Our meetings are huge nowadays and on the last one I went to were about 50 pipe smokers! Lots of new faces, but also a lot of old friends. I'm always looking forward to these days...

About the Onyx tamper. I was sold immediately when I saw it! Because of its green color and darker, vertical stripes it gives a sort of cactus-like impression. I can't explain it well with words, so I'll convince you later with some photos!

Half a year ago I was using my Onyx tamper again and came up with the idea that it would be awesome to have a stone ashtray with a desert-like appearance and some space in it to hold my stone tamper! I had already seen a lot of Romijn ashtrays on his website and in real-life, so I knew it would be possible. I've contacted Martin and asked him about the possibilities and if there was a type of stone that could fulfill my plan. He came up with the idea to use a sort of marble/limestone with the name 'Bianco del Mare' and sent me a photo of it. It was exactly what I was looking for, so: yes!

Making tampers, pipe stands and ashtrays out of stone isn't an easy job and acquires a lot of talent, creativity and craftsmanship. I've said it before: photography simply can't show the real beauty of this art and what I'm about to show you is ten times prettier in real-life than it is on a screen. It's almost impossible to make a photo that shows the true, natural and clear pureness of this ashtray and tamper, but here they are:

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Poul Stanwell Collection 925 - 15

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Poul Stanwell Collection 925 - 15

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Poul Stanwell Collection 925 - 15

I've also made some other photos to show you how handy this ashtray is and that almost any pipe fits!

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & PRF - Missouri Meerschaum - Patriot

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & PRF - Missouri Meerschaum - Patriot

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & PRF - Missouri Meerschaum - Patriot

Do you guys see what I mean with the cactus like tamper and desert like ashtray or is it just me?! It's exactly what I wanted and I'm very satisfied with it!

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Peterson - System 303, my favorite Latakia pipe!

And if you're worried about if that huge pipe you have with that life threatening size bowl will fit, check out this Missouri Meerschaum - MacArthur Emperor pipe (with the name and date of birth of my son Arthur written on it: check out one of my older posts HERE):

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Missouri Meerschaum - MacArthur Emperor

Romijn 'Bianco del Mare' ashtray, Onyx tamper & Missouri Meerschaum - MacArthur Emperor

I really recommend Romijn's stone products to everyone. If my blog post hasn't convinced you and you're afraid to take the "risk" buying an ashtray, just buy yourself a tamper first and you'll see all the beautiful details of it and realize that it's worth much more than the decent price you've paid for it.

Nowadays almost everything is produced in fabrics. It's all mass production and the reason for that is to make as much money as possible in a very short time and because of this, everything looks alike.

Right now I'm almost at the end of my pipe... I'm smoking Germains Mixture No 7 out of a pouch that I've bought in Germany earlier this year in my Poul Stanwell - Collection. I've read some positive, but also a lot of negative reviews online and although it's not a heavy and complicated blend, I do enjoy it. It's neutral and easy to smoke. It's tobacco that tastes like tobacco and has a little flavor that I can't describe very well. An easy-go smoke for when you're doing something else next to it, like writing a blog post!

The End

Now let me see... Ah! Here's a link to Martin Romijn's website:

• Romijn Stone Tampers

Just check it out and don't hesitate to contact him and tell him about your wishes. He might have something for you!

Next blog post will probably be about cacti again. I'm already changing my plans about what I'm going to sow and I'm adding more and more species to my list... It's terrible! I just can't help it! =P

Till next post!

Winter is coming...

Good day and welcome back on my Blog!

Here in Holland it's autumn at the moment. The temperatures are dropping, it's raining a lot and leafs are covering the streets. Love it! Most people get cranky in this period, but I like it. Autumn has a great influence on all my hobbies and also on my day-by-day life.

I remember that one day I was heading home from work and it was cold, raining like hell and I was soaking wet. I felt so sorry for myself! I think that everyone has already lived this type of terror, so it won't be hard to imagine in what kind of gutter I was riding my bicycle. Then I looked to the right and saw about 10 ducks playing in the mud, having the time of their lives! Motherfuckers! And then I realized how silly I was and smiled. Since that day I don't take this type of weather that serious anymore. Of course I still prefer to sit somewhere warm and dry, but the contrast between this depressing weather and coming home, pour myself a nice dram of whisky and lit my pipe is what makes me appreciate these days.

This is why I love autumn:

Drinks

Herfstbock, my favorite seasonal beer! This beer is sold in the Netherlands from autumn till the end of winter. Every year they taste different and every year I have another favorite. This year I'm a huge fan of La Trappe, which is also a Trappist (brewed in a monastery by monks or under their supervision). I like the bitter and lightly sweet taste.

La Trappe - Trapist - Bockbier

Next to Bock, these dark days also invite me to drink other special and stronger beers and again: La Trappe is my favorite brand until now, especially the Tripel and the Quadrupel.

Whisky! And I'm talking about a nice, peaty single malt whisky. I'm always in for a heavy peated whisky, but the colder it gets, the more I like them.

Earlier this week I've received a present from my lovely wife: the Laphroaig's Quarter Cask! I've had this whisky before and with the few years experience I have in Whisky-Land, I can say this is a good-quality whisky for a very decent price: € 39,95. Last year it was cheaper: € 32,50.

Laphroaig - Quarter Cask

I'm not an expert yet and I don't know if I'll ever be, but let me just tell you what I know about this dram. Now what makes this Quarter Cask so special and why is it named "Quarter Cask"? It has to do with the last 9 months of the maturation process, which is completed on smaller casks (125 liter). Theses smaller casks date from many years back when they needed to carry (do you see the smugglers?!) the casks by hand. Less whisky in contact with more wood means more taste adaption from the wood (correct me if I'm wrong, whisky-experts!). I won't name 10 types of fruit or other stuff that I taste, because I can't... It's just a damn good dram! A good amount of peat and more complex than the regular peated whisky.

Smoke

Latakia: Dark evenings ask for dark leafs. Nowadays mainly produced in Cyprus, but named after the Syrian port-city Latakia. This tobacco is first sun cured and then further cured over an oak or pinewood fire, which gives this tobacco its typical taste. If you smell the tin of a Latakia tobacco, you get scared of the burned old-tire smell and probably think it's a huge nicotine bomb that will make you crap your pants! The good news is that it doesn't contain much more nicotine than a regular tobacco and that the burned old-tire smell from the tin turns into a very tasteful, but smooth taste. The taste is strong, but you won't fall off your chair.

I only smoke once (sometimes twice) a week, so there's not enough time to try all the tobaccos in the world. I'm still searching, but for now I only have a few favorites. Let me show you one of them:

Peterson's Old Dublin in a Parker Bent Bulldog

Peterson's Old Dublin. I think this is a very underrated blend and many people will tell you there's much more on the market that's even better, but till now this is my number 1. It contains Latakia, Oriental and Virginia tobacco. Strong taste, smooth, spicy, but no tongue-bite. And about the "Smoking kills" sticker... They should also put it on alcohol, fast-food, sugar, salt and all the albums of the Doors! Kind of hypocrite, don't you think?!

Cacti & other succulents

Now that it's becoming colder, it's recommendable to give less to no water at all (do it gradually! Do not suddenly stop watering them) to cacti and many other succulents. Depending on the species, it's also important to lower the temperature, so that the plants can enter their winter rest. This might give them the extra kick they need to flower next year. The growth will also be prettier, because the sun is much weaker in the winter and won't give them what they need to grow strong.

Balcony-greenhouse

My balcony-greenhouse is just perfect to keep them on the right temperature. I've also prepared the heater and time-clock so that I can control the temperature a bit and it won't drop below 5°C. I should buy a thermostat, but these are kind of expensive and I rather buy one when I have a bigger green-house installed.

Winter-hardy

Winter is coming; another chance to test the winter-hardiness of some cacti. I won't type down the info I've got from other sites, so this will all be based on my own experience with the species. (keep in mind that besides the species, DNA is also a factor) All my plants are standing in pots and in pot-culture, you have 100% control over the drainage. If I would have a garden, I would build a drainage well to have more or less the same effect.

Opuntia humisa - Eastern prickly pear (Canada and the USA)
Outside on my balcony for 3 years already. First covered by the balcony above and since last winter in the open.

Opuntia humifusa

Maihueniopsis darwinii (Argentina and Chile)
This species has already survived one winter (-17ºC) outside in the open.

Maihueniopsis darwinii

Cylindropuntia imbricata - Cane/Tree cholla (USA: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico: Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza)
I have one plant, a cutting that I've got from someone of the Cactiguide.com forum:

Cylindropuntia imbricata, growing cutting

I've also already taken one cutting of it for my brother in law. It still has to develop a root-system, but I guess it'll be ready in spring next year:

Cylindropuntia imbricata cutting for my brother in law

I also grow one Cylindropuntia imbricata outside on the balcony .This plant I've bought earlier this year on the National Cacti Show in Kudelstaart and has been grown from the seed:

Cylindropuntia imbricata, grown from the seed

Escobaria missouriensis - Fox-tail cactus (USA: Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota and Mexico: Coahuila de Zaragoza, Nuevo Leon)
The ones I have are seedlings from earlier this year. They're all in one tray and I don't feel like re-potting them yet. I also won't put them all outside in the cold to test their hardiness, because I might lose them all at once.

Escobaria missouriensis seedlings, 6 months old

Poll

As I've mentioned in my last article: there is an amazing Poll on my Blog right now! I'm having a little doubt about what I should sow next year and I want YOU to help me with that! I've named 4 species (photos included) and you can choose one. The winning species is the one I'll sow. If I know you, you'll win one of the sown species in the future! (for the Poll: scroll down!)

The end

That's about it! Thank you for reading and till next time!

Missouri Meerschaum Pipes

Beware before you read forward; this article contains a lot of tobacco smoke. Wooo.... DANGER! DANGER!

I've written a big story full of facts and wrote down my strong opinion about some whining idiots, but I've decided to backspace it all to hell and just mention that we smokers (here in Holland) pay € 2.500.000.000 special taxes a year next to the normal taxes on our tobacco and that they who eat fast-food and consume other processed products aren't any more healthy. Suck on that!

That being said, I would like to say that I also don't like cigarette smoke when I'm eating and any smoke when I'm sleeping. And yes, I think people should be able to decide for themselves whether they inhale smoke or not (read this very carefully; if you hate it to be in a smokey bar, then just don't go there and let the bar owners decide whether smoking is allowed or not!).

Back to happy talk! My son Arthur has born! There are no words for all the joy and happiness that we experience and I think I can say the same about all the sleepless nights, but it's all more than worth it! I won't try to explain our experience and feelings here, because if you have a child, you already understand what I mean. If you don't have a child, it's just too hard to imagine. I'm not being arrogant here and I respect everyone's choice, but this is my own experience. You think that you know how it's like, but it's completely different! All I can say is that it's a huge enrichment of my life, a different understanding and a change of priorities.

What does Arthur have to do with smoke?! Well... For this special occasion, I've ordered a special pipe: the Missouri Meerschaum - MacArthur 'Emperor' pipe with my son's name and date of birth as the inscription on the stems. Stems? Yep, I've ordered two of them at Aristocob.com!

Package from Aristocob.com

'One, two, three..... Hey!' Ah, I see. I've ordered three extra pipes; the 'Missouri Pride' (bottom right), the 'Diplomat' (bottom left) and the 'Country Gentleman' (in the middle). Those two big guys are the MacArthurs. They're all Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes, famous for their low prices and great smoking abilities.

Check out my favorite, the 'Country Gentleman':

Scott from Aristocob has convinced me to buy at least one 'Country Gentleman'. I mean, he sells a lot of MM corncob pipes each day and has the opportunity to try them all. His favorite can only be a good choice! Of course, choosing a pipe is very personal, but I have to say that I really like the 'Country Gentleman'. For me, it's a combination of factors: the classy look, the nice grip, the dry and cool smoke. I've smoked this pipe only once and I'm looking forward to the next smoke! Simply a great pipe! Definitely worth to try and it'll only cost you a couple of bucks.

I have also smoked all the other pipes from the package and I have to admit that they all smoke very dry and cool. Like every natural material (including briar), the corncob adds a little extra taste that I find pleasant. The reason that they're cheap is because they're cheaper to manufacture; corncobs grow a lot faster and are much easier to control than the Erica arborea. The only "negative" thing about corncobs is their durability, although I know people that have smoked their cob for more than hundred times without even one crack. Nowadays a lot of Missouri Meerschaum pipes come with a wooden plug in the bottom to prevent burn-through, so that "problem" is also solved. I can imagine that the chamber walls are a little bit weaker, but believe me, when I say that they're very decent pipes. In the USA you can buy ten 'Country Gentlemans' for the price of one good briar pipe and even twenty 'Missouri Prides'. I mean, that's SUPER-CHEAP! And besides, they look freaking awesome!

Beware and use your calculator well before ordering online from another country; the import taxes may be zero, but can also be higher than expected. For example: if you live in the Netherlands (like me) and order something from the States and the total costs (including the shipping costs!) are between € 22 and € 150, you'll have to pay 6% import tax plus € 17,50 to cover the administration costs... What I recommend is to order a lot at once or take care so that the total price is below € 22. I prefer the first. For example:

$ 180 : Pipes

$ 20 : Shipping costs

______________________

$ 200 = € 145

€ 145

€ 8,7 : 6% taxes

€ 17,50 : administration costs 

_______________________

€ 171,20 in total

And what do you buy for that amount of money? 23 'Country Gentlemans' (€ 7,50 each) or 60 'Missouri prides' (€ 2,85 each). Now that's doing business! Of course, you should buy all your corncob pipes only at Aristocob.com and if you ever decide to buy a cob somewhere else, be sure that you buy a Missouri Meerschaum and not some Chinese rip-off (no offence to the Chinese, I know they also have high-quality products and I love their food!). These MM look-a-likes are made of younger and weaker cobs and don't have the same quality.

I won't bother you anymore with corncob pipes for now. You should check Scott's Youtube channel instead. I've seen most of his videos and can assure you that you'll find them interesting!

Ow! I will bother you one more time! The guy who presumably invented the corncob pipe and has started the company that is now known as the Missouri Meerschaum Company was the Dutch immigrant woodworker Henry Tibbe, what up!

Aren't we missing something here? Hmm.... Cacti! That's for the next article, to be written soon. I've sown some seeds at my son's birthday. Those who read my blog frequently will probably get which species I've sown!

Later dudes! Keep it smokey!

Time for pipes!

Now that I have a 'bad-ass' camera, I think it's time to take some nice pics of my tobacco pipes! Since 2005 I enjoy smoking my pipe. It started as a joke; I saw a couple of pipes laying in a store and joked about me walking through the streets with one of those things in my mouth (imagine me walking with one hand on my back and the other one holding the pipe, doing some old-man-walk). A few months later, after I've walked-by that store a couple of times, I've decided to enter and just buy it. And so I did. Of course I've only started to do some research AFTER I've bought my smoking device...

My first pipe wasn't a great one. I've bought it in Brasil and right now it's broken. I won't even post a photo of it... My first tobacco was Captain Black, Cherry flavor, also not of great quality.

Now let's go to the real work! My first pipe:

Poul Stanwell - Collection 925 - 15, Sandblast

A Poul Stanwell - Collection 925 - 15, sandblast. And I have to be honest, it's not my most expensive pipe, but it's surely one of my favorites! Maybe it's even my #1. When I can't decide which pipe to bring, I always pick this one. It's familiar, smokes great and is robust. It's the sandblast version, so when I hold it, I feel a nice grip. I also have the feeling that it's less sensitive for small scratches.

Peterson System 307

A Peterson System 307, my second pipe. I've bought this pipe in 2006 at the local tobacco store, right before it closed its doors forever. 8 times they were robbed by armed dick-heads, so they've decided to retire a bit earlier than planned. I've bought the pipe with some discount (because of the closure), but of course I would be happier if the store was still there!

About the pipe... It has a large bowl! The first few years I would smoke anything in it. I didn't really dedicated a pipe for one special tobacco, so this big guy would cost me almost 2 hours to smoke! Now I only smoke Semois in it, a very dry and fast burning tobacco from Belgium. Now it only takes me 1 hour to smoke this pipe and to be honest, for a strong taste like this, that's more than enough!

Peterson System 303

A Peterson System 303, the pipe that I've bought in 2009 for my own birthday. A nice smoker that looks a lot like her older sister, the 307, but is a lot smaller. This is actually a very small pipe that's just perfect for smoking Latakia. Of course I've used it for any type of tobacco in the first few years, but hey, everybody needs to learn!

Peterson Rock of Cashel (model number unknown)

I've bought this one in Dublin at the Peterson store end 2009. When I've bought it, I was totally crazy about it. Then I suddenly didn't like it anymore and took it out of my collection for almost a year. I've thought about giving this pipe away, but then suddenly I started to like it again. Weird... It's back in the collection, only I still have to start smoking it again. If you would like to see some photos of the Peterson of Dublin store, search the blog for Dublin and you'll find some short stories about my travel.

The next 3 pipes were a gift from a friend of mine on the Dutch Pipe Smokers Forum (Pijprokersforum.nl). I've received a package at the end of 2010, if I remember well. There were about 5 pipes, but I've given 2 of them away. Not that I didn't like them, but because I already had something like that. Then I rather make someone else happy with it.

Here are the ones that I've kept and that will never leave my collection!

Mastro de Paja

 I just love this pipe! It's very pretty. Just look at the grain! Because of the narrow chamber, I prefer to smoke flake in it. It burns well and... Ah! It's a great pipe.

Winsløw

 Also a very good smoker. What I like about Winsløw pipes is that their smoke channels are always very well balanced. They're also a little bit wider than other pipes, what makes them a bit more comfortable to me.

Winsløw

 Another Winsløw. I'm not sure yet of what I'll smoke in it. I've tried Latakia and Flake. They both taste great in this pipe... Life's hard!

Falcon (straight stem) with a rusticated Apple bowl and a Hunter Dover bowl.

 I'm really surprised about this one! I've always thought about Falcon's as the most ugliest pipes around, but then some people on Pijprokersforum.nl convinced me that they're very handy and easy to clean. And that you only have to screw another bowl on it to smoke it again within 10 minutes! Then I slowly started to get more and more interested and right now I even think they're beautiful! I'm still planning to buy myself another stem (bent) and some more bowls. Talking about bowls; the Apple I use for Latakia and the Dover for any other tobacco (but no flake).

Parker

 A very light and elegant Parker that I use to smoke Latakia. The chamber is not to high and almost as wide. Perfect for Latakia. What can I say about this one? I've bought it for a very low price on Pijprokersforum.nl.

Old River

 This was a gift from my sister. She has bought it on her vacation in Austria. It's roughly rusticated as you can see and it's very short. This asks for a slow burning tobacco. I use it for Latakia, but I really need to smoke slowly, otherwise I'll burn my tongue with this one!

Vauen - Gandalf

Gandalf's pipe! Well... Now it's mine! A very nice pipe, made by Vauen. I don't smoke it too often and that's weird, because it smokes great! I'll work on it.

Turkish Meerschaum

 A Turkish Meerschaum. This was a gift from 2 of my best friends from Brazil. I'm totally crazy about this one and I don't even touch it with my bare hands, because that might cause fat-spots on it. During the first year you have to take some extra care for this, otherwise you'll be stick with those spots forever. Later on I'll be able to touch it during the smoke. I would like to thank them again! Amazing gift, guys!


And of course there is a cactus on this blog!

Maihueniopsis darwinii

This Maihueniopsis darwinii is actually growing on my balcony! This cutting was a gift from someone of the Cactiguide.com forum. The guy that has sent it to me is also from the Netherlands and he grows this species in his garden. They can even survive our sucky winters! I've kept it inside up till 2 weeks ago without any growth. Now it's outside for 2 weeks and look what's on top of it! Yeah... It's doing well. Let's just check out if it'll survive our 'brutal' winter!

Hmmm... No photo of Wonnie. Shall I take one? Okay! 

Wonnebald

Always when I or my wife is behind the computer, he has to lay between the keyboard and the monitor. He's just always around! He's almost 6 months old now and I really don't want the vet to take his balls... I really don't! I hope he won't piss around in the house and won't hump things. Hmfff.... We'll see what the future brings! I'll keep you up to date about his balls, okay? Deal!

See ya later!

Tobacco field, Chimarrão, cacti and Wonnie

And here's another piece of what I would like to share. Hello and welcome (back?) on my blog! If you check out my other 'articles', you'll see that they're not 100% consistent. I don't have 1 theme and actually I just write stuff down I feel like sharing at that exact moment. But does that mean that my blog is chaotic and vague? Maybe... But I'm sure that some of you ended up here Googling something that you're interested in. Maybe you were looking for photos of seedlings of that rare cactus species or maybe some type of pipe. It could be a nice single malt whisky (although I'm not an expert yet). Or you were just bored. Nothing wrong with that! Or... Hey! Maybe you're family, a friend or someone that I've met in real life. Nice! You came here to check out what Stan's doing, ah? Well, here we go!

My wife and I had some busy days lately. We went to Brasil, visiting family and friends and I can tell you that it was great! Next time we really need to stay longer, because we were seeing everyone in such a hurry.  Lots of great people and only a few days. Time passes fast when you're busy.

Between all the visits and meetings we've seen some pretty cool stuff again! My wife's grandfather owns a piece of land and there they grow different crops, depending on the season. And guess what season it was when we've arrived there?!

Tobacco!

Tobacco field

Exactly! Tobacco! Everyone who knows me well or who reads my blog once in a while knows that I'm a pipe smoker and that - of course - I like tobacco. Visiting this tobacco field was something that made me smile!

Me standing in a tobacco field

Nicotiana tabacum, the tobacco plant, sadly one of the greatest income of many governments. I have a theory about this, but I won't bother you too much with it. I believe that if the government would use all the money they make with excise tax to pay the problems of our bad-organized healthcare, people might be surprised of how low their monthly payment would be.

Of course, smoking a lot of tobacco might cause health problems, but I also believe that if someone smokes his daily pipe, drinks his glass of whisky and really take the time to enjoy it, that person might get a little older than someone who doesn't take the time to enjoy his life. Stress gives you more health problems than smoking!

Ready to be cured!

My wife's grandfather explained a lot about the process, but I didn't took note and thought; 'Ah, I'll rember!',  but no! Let me see. Ah yes! He told me that it's very important to harvest the tobacco plants on the right time. If you wait some days longer, you're stuck with useless plants that can't be used for tobacco production anymore (as he pointed at his neighbor's crops).

Below here I've added some photos of the curing process. They speak for themselves.

Me and my wife's grandfather

He doesn't work on the land anymore like in the old days. Right now he just rents his land and live in peace in his nice and calm house.

Tobacco leafs, hanging to dry and to cure

In here they burn wood. The oven is connected to some pipes that are used  for quickening the curing process.

The pipes I was talking about

Got it, right?

More tobacco, almost ready to leave

This part is even older than the rest. They used to hang tobacco leafs on sticks here

Okay, let's move on!

Chimarrão

Yerba mate

 This plant is used for a traditional South American infused drink. Dried out a little and cut, they put some spoons of it in a so called 'cuia' (which is a calabash drinking mug), put a little cold water on the herb to make it stick to the wall of the mug, then stick in the 'bomba' (which is a sort of metal straw) and then add cooked water. They say that it doesn't have any effect, but I don't believe them! Not that I've seen any weird stuff after drinking 'Chimarrão' (the name of the drink), but it woke me up as hell! I love it. It's a little bitter, but it's nice.

More green stuff...

Later on our trip in Brazil, we've visited the uncle of my brother in law, a very nice guy. His wife made me the best Caipirinha I've ever tasted in my life! Okay, back to nature!

Check out all the epiphytes! Amazingly pretty in my opinion!

Another epiphyte...

Are you seeing what I am seeing? Look closer!

Yeah! That's a cactus! A Rhipsalis species. 

I'm not sure about the full name yet, but I'll come back to that later (it's
Rhipsalis elliptica) This isn't the plant you think about when you hear the word cactus, but I can assure you that it is one. Many people confuse cacti with other succulents (even I did in the beginning), but today I'm going to learn you a little trick about how to recognize one!

Areoles!  Only cacti have them, so that's simple, right? Let me show you some!

Areoles

Cacti are the only plant group that have areoles. Spines, branches and also flowers grow from these small light to dark spots. Great! Now you can identife a cactus.

Take a good look at this plant. It has spines as you can see, but can you also see the areoles? Nope. This is no cactus, but an Euphorbia, a succulent plant from Africa. Very pretty in my opinion by the way! 

As I've already told you in my other article, I've ordered some seeds again and two species that I'll sow are from the Euphorbia family; Euphorbia platyclada and Euphorbia gorgonis. My wife thinks they're ugly (Hmmm... Shit happens!)

Cactolândia 2013!

2013's sowing

• Bottom left: Lophophora williamsii, L. fricii, L. Diffusa, Macheocereus eruca

• Top left: Lobivia silvestrii (Echinopsis chamaecereus), Sulcorebutia arenacea, Melocactus matanzanus

• Top right: Parodia ottonis, Notocactus turecekianus, Gymnocalycium erinaceus

• Bottom right: Euphorbia platyclada, Euphorbia gorgonis, Pachypodium rosulatum, Haworthia sordida

Just four containers this time! (ow, and one in the bottom right corner; Brighamia insignis, seeds from my own plant. Check Out my other article on this one!)

What can I say about my choices... I'm crazy about Lophophora species. I like the way they're spineless and I like their interesting history. Lophophora williamsii has many other names, but the most famous one is 'Peyote'. I've already written a lot about this plant, so I suggest you should search my blog if you would like to read a little more about it.

Macheocereus eruca, the creeping Devil! I like that name! Haven't I already written about this spiny fellow? I don't think so. Not that I can remember. This species is called 'The Creeping Devil', because he actually creeps. He grows horizontally from one side and dies at the base. This process makes this plant transport himself from one spot to the other. If you Google this plant and check out the huge spines, you'll probably also imagine the Devil-part of the name (imagine stepping on one!)

I've chosen Lobivia silvestrii and Sulcorebutia arenacea because of their pretty flowers and interesting way of growing. Melocactus matanzanus interests me because of its weird cephalium. I've never grown a species of this family, so I'll let them surprise me!

Parodia ottonis, Notocactus turekianus and Gymnocalycium erinaceus were a present of someone from the cacti-forum on Cactiguide.com (thanks again, Arjen!).

And then there are the plants my wife hates. Offff... Well, they're not THAT ugly, I think. Okay, they're weird, but weird is funny and funny makes you happy and isn't being happy what it's all about? When Euphorbia platyclada is in the rich years of its life, it looks kind of dead. Check Google for this one! Euphorbia Gorgonis is named after a female Greek mythical creature with snakes on her head. The plant looks like the head of this Gorgon. After searching a tree-look-a-like-tiny-succulent for days, I've found Pachypodium rosulatum. What more can I say? Haworthia sordida is similar to the other species of the Haworthia family, but differs in its colors; blackish/reddish, very pretty!

And then I would also like to say that a friend of mine, who always orders seeds together with me and sow around the same time has asked me to pick out one extra species. 'A columnar cactus that will reach about 1,4 m max. Surprise me!' were his words. Well... He'll be surprised, because I've settled him up with the following species; Harrisia pomanensis, also named 'The Midnight Lady'. Yeah, that will cause a mess in his house, but it's also funny I think and funny makes you happy and that's what life's about! Right?! Uhmmm... Next!

I would also like to say that I'll write with more details about the species I've named above in the future. It's just that I don't feel like stealing pics online and would rather to use my own. Ow, by the way! Our camera has died in Brazil, DAMMIT! Now we'll have to buy a new and better one. Finally a good reason!

Peyote News!

The photos below are all taken with my old Nikon 2100 with 2.0 effective Megapixels that I've bought in 2004. My other camera has died as you've read above. But okay, Peyote News! These seedlings are all from 2011, except 2 that were a gift from someone.

Lophophora williamsii, La Popa, Nuevo Leon

Lophophora williamsii, Nuevo Yucatan

Lophophora williamsii (the 2 right seedlings are the gift I was talking about)

Last but not least...

Wonnebald

I would like you to meet our latest family member, 'Wonnebald'! You can also call him 'Wonnie' and in Germany they would call him 'Wunibald' or 'Wuni'? Anyway, we think he's great!

That's it for today! See ya next time (hopefully with some seedling-photos taken with my new bad-ass-camera!)!