Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Pineapples Don't Grow on Trees

Art really enjoyed  his time at the U.S.E.P.A. in Chicago and made many good friends.

I was looking at these photos that were given to him after the office celebrated his 40th birthday with a surprise party.


Here he is at his desk while everybody crept up behind him.


Many people wore leis and had aloha shirts or muumuus as well.


Art was really touched with the effort that the office put forth to throw this big party.  I got a kick out of seeing this birthday cake with the Hawaii theme.  Notice the pineapples?


Here is Art and KC picking a pineapple from our garden this summer.

It's surprising how many people think pineapples grow on trees.  We've taken a number of visitors around the island and they are often surprised to see how a pineapple is grown.

Dragon fruit tree, courtesy of Wikipedia

I just recently discovered how a dragon fruit grows when we saw a neighbor's plant.  I didn't even know they grew in Hawaii.  I would never have imagined the odd shape of this plant.

It's a good thing nobody asked me to decorate a cake with a dragon fruit tree.

19 comments:

  1. interesting to see the dragon fruit tree, they have the fruit in the stores here. And what a lovely cake!

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  2. I knew they grow out of the ground. I wonder how come I knew that? How nice of Art's office to throw that party! :-)

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  3. I saw lots of flowers in Hawaii, but don't recall "tulips" along the ground, as shown on the funny cake. The "pineapple trees" ARE shorter than the palm / coconut trees. What a hoot! DrumMajor

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  4. funny, I enjoy visiting the pineapple plantation on our trip to hawaii!

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  5. What do dragon fruits taste like?
    Art's birthday cake was so beautiful. I just love the attention to detail. Lol.

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    1. I've never tried dragon fruit, but I think Art said it was a little tart. I'm not sure though.

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  6. My mum grew pineapple before so I knew it doesn't grow on trees..

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  7. Oh that is a funny cake. No google then for easy referencing. Priceless lol

    L from W

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    1. We were really touched that they went to so much trouble to throw this Hawaiian surprise party.

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  8. Oh, that's right. It's coconuts. But I think they grow in the subtropics. It's so confusing remembering when we only see them piled in the supermarket.

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  9. My niece, Jeannette Dadusc, had a good job with EPA in the New York area. She used to go around to military bases and inspect them. Eventually, she met a guy from England, they got married, and I guess she gave up her good job.

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  10. Great photos of the party and the fruits. First time seeing a dragon fruit tree for me. I knew about the pineapple plants, but a little refreshing of the old memory was good.

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  11. Oh, you are SO lucky. It is like a little miracle to think of going outside and picking a pineapple. Amazing.

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  12. sweet party! I remember the rows of pineapple growing low for miles over the high Wahiawa plain. . . . and the warm pineapple smell passing the old cannery on Nimitz. . . . .


    Aloha from Waikiki,

    Comfort Spiral

    > < } } ( ° >

    > < } } (°>

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  13. I will admit I thought pineapples grew on trees. After all aren't they a cross between pine-cones an apples that do grow on trees? lol Do not even know what dragon fruit is?

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  14. These are wonderful photos, both the old and the new.
    The cake is lovely. Maybe those trees were meant to look like coconut palms?

    P.S. See a funny dragon's blood tree (and a sign about it) at
    http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.co.il/2009/02/flying-foxes-and-falling-dragons-blood.html

    It says in the wild the dragon's blood tree can live 650 years!

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  15. Art look like one sharp guy. The fruit(?) of the lauhala tree is often mistaken for a pineapple especially when they start to turn orange.

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  16. Hey Kay!
    Guess what?! My brother has shown me how to root the top of a pineapple plant and it grows into such a lovely plant. The pineapple is so golden and beautiful. He is so smart. During the drought, he was not allowed to water any plants, unless they were plants that made food, so he was allowed to water his pineapple plant! See, I told you he was smart!
    Loved Art's cake by the way!

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