Tag Archives: Weekend Carnivorous Plant Tours

2021: “And So It Begins…”

Okay, so you were kept up all Saturday night with a spectacular toothache, and the only option for a remedy involves visiting an emergency dentist first thing on a Sunday morning. Anaesthetics work, kindasorta, and the assessment recommends an immediate root canal if there’s any hope of saving the bicuspid. While trying to distract yourself from the sound of the drilling gear used to dig the Chunnel (and the desperate hope that, unlike the Chunnel, one drill isn’t left behind in the tooth) and the smell of burning indricothere bone, which half-heard phrase suddenly bolts you into full consciousness with a desperate search for a mirror to look for the eyebrows that buried themselves in the wall: “That’s a lot more pus than I was expecting” or “You know, we still have three days left on 2020”?

Don’t worry: I kid. Bring on the pus, now in a handy fire hose. Better that the whole office look like a set for an early Peter Jackson film than to have 2020 go on one more day than it has to.

The good news, besides 2020 going to that pit in which 2001, 1996, and 1973 belong, is that the new year is coming, complete with plans for future Triffid Ranch events. We’re currently shooting for Weekend Plant Tours on January 24 and February 14, both running from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and expect news on other events very shortly. In the meantime, it’s time to get back into the gallery and get to work.

The Aftermath: Christmas Carnivorous Plant Nightmares at the Texas Triffid Ranch 2020

After five years of trying to organize Christmas Eve events at the gallery and having everything fall through, things worked out. For a holiday eve in a pandemic, we had an enthusiastic audience, including a very dear old friend who finally got the chance to see the new gallery, and a very excited family toward the end of the night. For a town that pretty much shuts down on December 24 after 5:00 or so, it was a great way to finish off the season.

After this, it’s time to get back into the workshop for new enclosures. In particular, keep an eye open for a surprise involving a Nepenthes diabolica, a new species previously thought to be a color variation of the notorious Nepenthes hamata.

For those who missed out on this run, and for those who want a touch of post-Christmas green, the last of 2020’s Weekend Carnivorous Plant Tours starts on Sunday, December 27 at 10:00 am, and shuts down at 4:00 pm. After that, we’re still trying to figure out plans for 2021, but we have ideas. Terrible, beautiful ideas.

Triffid Ranch Weekend Carnivorous Plant Tours: December 20, 2020

Less than two weeks before the end of the most intense year in memory, and things continue to get interesting. The gallery debuted two new Nepenthes hybrids which will probably be very popular beginner plants over 2021, and it’s time to expand the diversity of bladderwort species in the gallery as well. If not for this pandemic thing, we’d probably do even more.

As a sidenote, the hope is to finish at least one more enclosure by the end of the year, thereby bringing the total constructed this year to at least 21. “20 in 2020” is just a little too weird.

And for those wanting one last dose for the year, the gallery will be open on Thursday, December 24 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm for last-minute shopping, and then again on Sunday, December 27 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm for post-holiday opportunities. Since we can’t have an anniversary party this year (and I’m pretty sure nobody bet on “18 years” in the Paul/Caroline marriage deadpool), this will have to do. See you then.

Triffid Ranch Weekend Carnivorous Plant Tours: December 13, 2020

We’re in the home stretch now. Nearly halfway through the month, at the end of the year, arguably at the end of an extremely tumultuous decade. Certainly, had you told 2010 Me that regular weekly carnivorous events would be both possible and popular, the look of disbelief would have been worthy of a greeting card. But there we go.

This weekend’s show was like most events in Dallas in December when torrential rains hit: rather slow at first, and then cabin fever overtakes the aggravation of driving in the rain. It ultimately led to quite a cross-section of first-time visitors, including a last-minute rush of viewers after the rain finally stopped.

The rest of the schedule for 2020 gets a bit interesting. Before the next gallery Plant Tour on December 20, it’s time for a sidetrip for the Frightmare Collectibles Christmas Horror Market in Justin on December 20, from 12 noon to 8:00 pm. (No plants because this is an outside show, and the emphasis will be on jewelry from Caroline Crawford Originals, but I will be out with Triffid Ranch posters for those asking for one, and everyone is welcome to come out to the Plant Tour on Sunday.) After that, the gallery will be open by appointment only during the week, but we’ll reopen for the last Plant Tour of the year on December 27. (Incidentally, this will also be a lowkey celebration of our 18th wedding anniversary: isn’t it amazing that I haven’t been turned into a bog mummy by now?) As for 2021, well, we’re still working on that.

New Triffid Ranch Plant Tours: The Holiday 2020 Edition

Okay, so it’s the beginning of the holiday season. Travel out of town is right out this year, and let’s face it: if Die Hard is a Christmas movie, the only movie that sums up Thanksgiving weekend 2020 is Alien. For those for whom the holiday season is problematic or unbearably painful, we’re looking for something reasonably safe in the year of COVID-19, with not a trace of tinsel. Far too many of us working retail have wanted to be in a position where the manager who insists upon running Christmas songs all day starting November 1 gets tied up, eyes propped open like Malcolm McDowall’s in A Clockwork Orange, and forced to watch The Polar Express until his ears bleed. Things aren’t as bad as they were 40 years ago, where television, radio, and theater gave no other options, but it would be nice to take a break once in a while.

That’s why we’re proud to announce the upcoming Weekend Carnivorous Plant Tours, starting on Saturday, November 28 at 10:00. The idea is to open the gallery on Small Business Saturday to allow new visitors to view the entirety of the gallery and returning visitors to see the new enclosures made since their last visit. (For many, they understandably haven’t seen the inside of the gallery since our Lunar New Year open house back at the beginning of February.) After that, we’ll open again on November 29, take a short break for a private event on December 6, and then resume on December 13, 20, and 27. After that, well, that’s what 2021 is for. As always, masks are mandatory and their proper wear is vital, with the gallery sanitized between visitors. (Due to Dallas County ordinances, no more than 10 visitors can enter at any given time: we apologize for the inconvenience, but this is for everybody’s health.)

The best part of all of this is having the opportunity to debut new enclosures every week: including commissions, 2020 has been exceedingly busy, and the plan is to average out at one new enclosure every two weeks since the beginning of the year. Will we do it? CAN we do it? Well, you’ll have to come out to the gallery every week to find out.

Otherwise, the gallery is as always open by appointment through the end of the year for those wishing to view or purchase an enclosure outside of the Plant Tour schedule: unfortunately, a new day job prevents keeping the gallery open every day through the season, so appointments will be vital. Anyone with questions is free to ask: otherwise, we’ll see everyone starting November 28.