Years ago we gave thousands of tours of the Plant. People came to see the hydroponics, the aquaponics, and to see how biodiesel was made. We toured our worm digesters, showed off our solar double cropping, and talked about all the groovy sustainability stuff we were doing.
At the time there was a new Toy Story movie where the toys were rescued by a Barbie Doll driving a pink jeep down the aisle of a store. She introduced herself as "Tour Guide Barbie." We picked up on that term at staff meetings--where we had a lot of folks who did tours. It was not unusual to hear someone say, "Who is Tour Guide Barbie on Sunday?"
After many years off, I'm going back into Plant tours. Every Sunday at 1:00 sharp, starting at the guardhouse, I will lead a 45 minute "plant walk" that winds through the orchard, passed the wetland, through the riparian zone, and emerges at Rachel's Native Plants. I'll be talking about natives, and invasives, showing specimen trees and answering all questions about all things. Join me if you are able...