So anyway, it's getting to be real hurricane season in Houston and we want our trees to be somewhat prepared. What with all the drought that's been beating us to death, a little extra effort is needed. We check a number of sources and finally select a company with whom we feel comfortable with the pruning of our trees.
The owner of the company arrives and we go through all the technicalities with him of being a tree in desperate straits with delicate roots and I'm about to burst. After all this guy is an arborist for God's sake and who better to ask the question? Finally, i can take it no longer, so i ask. "Excuse me, being an arborist and all, do you ever have the occasion to need a tree?"
He looks at me suspiciously and asks, "You mean like buy one?"
"Well, yeah." I respond, not even venturing into whatever insinuations he might be imaging. Needless to say, he's still giving me (to use a phrase I recently learned from one of my daughters) the stink eye.
"Can you get me a Wollemi Pine?" I blurted.
"What the Hell is a Wollemi Pine?" He responded. My confidence plummeted to a new low, although I explain to him in great detail the origin of the Wollemia nobilis.
"Cool!!" he retorted. "i am a member of the ISA."
This in itself did not reinstate my previous confidence in the guy.
He went on to say that membership in this organization helps him along the road to maintaining his arborist registration in the State of Texas, and one of the point gainers is attending the conventions.
"The ISA is holding its convention in Australia this year." he pointed out and that he and his wife plan to attend. He went on to say that he will contact his sources in the meantime in an effort to acquire said tree, and ultimately, when he gets to Austrailia he will check the possibilities of exporting these things.
More later.
